Assistant Minority Floor Leader Sen. Vicente Sotto III
PASAY CITY – The Senate of the Philippines is pushing for a bill that would combine the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) into a single agency.
A proposed bill is being pushed in the senate which if enacted would create the “Presidential Drug Enforcement Authority,” the main government unit that would focus on fighting illegal drug trade in the country.
According to Assistant Minority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III, the proposed bill which they plan to push in the opening of the next congress aims to combine the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency with the Dangerous Drugs Board.
Sotto said, this is to avoid problems such as the dismissal of the majority of the cases related to illegal drugs.
He further added that many prosecutors are complaining because most cases filed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) against drug traffickers are weak and usually end up in a dismissal.
The PNP rebuts otherwise saying the cases are being dissmissed because the prosecutors are give in to extortion.
Therefore, Sotto believes that one solution to this is the creation of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority.
The proposed agency would have the control and supervision over all anti-narcotics units and the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group.
Meanwhile, all drug cases would be handled and supervised by the prosecution division of the proposed Presidential Drug Enforcement Authority.
Sotto also believes that PhilHealth should shoulder the rehabilitation of illegal drug victims who cannot afford the service of rehabilitation centers.
(UNTV News)
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