President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Wednesday led the incineration of illegal drugs seized by authorities in Capas, Tarlac amid his government’s intensified ‘bloodless’ campaign against the narcotics trade.
“We are here because we need to ensure that the confiscated drugs are really destroyed with no hopes of bringing them back to the market,” Marcos said in Tagalog.
The event followed his inspection on Tuesday at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) national headquarters in Quezon City.
Law enforcement authorities recently seized over 1.5 tons of prohibited substances valued at nearly P10-billion from various coastal waters across Luzon provinces in separate operations, marking one of the biggest drug hauls in the country.
Marcos oversaw the loading of illegal drugs into the incinerator with Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, PDEA Director General Isagani Nerez, and Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Chairman Oscar Valenzuela.
“That’s why I’m here today just to see how the system works,” President Marcos said, wearing a face mask.
He wanted to ensure the government has a “solid system” against illegal drugs from their capture to the eventual destruction.
The incineration facility had installed chambers capable of burning materials at 700 degrees Celsius hot enough to destroy all the active drug elements, according to the president.
President Marcos underscored his administration’s commitment to transparency and the integrity of the country’s anti-narcotics operations.
“After heating to 700 degrees, it will not be shabu anymore, it will not be marijuana anymore—it will be completely destroyed,” President Marcos said.
“There should be no chance that these drugs could be retrieved, resold, or reported again,” he added.
The incineration process spans a total of 22 hours, 10 hours of burning followed by 12 hours of cooling to verify complete destruction. If any trace amounts remain, the process is repeated.
“This is my first time to witness this system in action, and I am very interested to see it firsthand. We need to ensure the process is solid, from capture to complete destruction,” Mr. Marcos said.
The president’s visit comes amid ongoing efforts by the administration to strengthen the country’s anti-drug campaign with a focus on law enforcement integrity and human rights.
