PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte issued on Friday an executive order mandating the creation of an inter-agency body tasked to suppress the drug problem in the country.
Saying that the drug problem “continues to destroy the moral fiber of society,” Duterte issued Executive Order No. 15 tasking 21 agencies to create an Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) to be led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
The agency is tasked to ensure the comprehensive implementation of the National Anti-Drug Plan of Action from 2015 to 2020 and “cleanse the bureaucracy of unscrupulous personnel involved in illegal drug activities.”
The ICAD will be composed of four clusters, the Enforcement Cluster to conduct investigations against drug syndicates and other target personalities; the Justice Cluster to ensure the prosecution of all drug cases and ensure the voluntary surrenders and possible warrantless arrests; the Advocacy Cluster to conduct a nationwide campaign against the drug menace; and the Rehabilitation and Reintegration Cluster to implement the drug rehabilitation programs of the government.
A national Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force shall be created to undertake sustained anti-illegal drug operatioms, under the supervision of the PDEA chief.
Among the 20 agencies included in the ICAD are Dangerous Drugs Board, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Justice, Department of Health, Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Department of National Defense, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Philippine Information Agency, Public Attorney’s Office, Office of the Solicitor General, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration, Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Anti-Money Laundering Council.