The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is in need of more drug enforcement officers to fight the “immense” drug problem in the country.
Director General Aaron Aquino said applicants must be 21 to 35 years old, a graduate of any bachelor’s degree with second level eligibility for career service, board exam passer or any examinations qualified by the Civil Service Law under special laws.
The agency recently conducted qualifying and neuro-psychological examination for aspiring drug enforcement officers in Davao City for Mindanao applicants, Cebu City for the Visayas applicants, Baguio City and PDEA national headquarters in Quezon City for Luzon applicants.
At least over 2,000 applicants took the examinations, Aquino said, adding those who would pass the test would go through the drug enforcement officers basic course and a six-month resident and rigorous training in Silang, Cavite.
The PDEA Academy is now training 161 agent-trainees to graduate this month, while another batch composed of 116 agent-trainees would become full-fledged agents in May.
Recognizing the need to augment its workforce to address the immense drug problem, Aquino said they hired 542 drug enforcement officers in 2018, the largest recruitment.
The Senate has approved a P200-million budget for the employment of 1,000 PDEA agents in 2019.
Aquino said: “PDEA has limited workforce. With the approved budget for recruitment of more agents, the agency will be able to face the tough grind in the war against illegal drugs.
“This will enhance our capability in addressing the drug menace which continue to be one of the most serious problems facing the country today.”