FACT SHEET No. 1
on the
Anti-Illegal Drug Campaign of the Philippines
28 March 2017

The Philippine government circulated on 9 September 2016 an Aide Memoire on the Philippines’ anti-illegal drug campaign. The said Aide Memoire (copy attached):

• put in context the Philippine campaign against illegal drugs as a part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s approach to human development and governance, and as a response to the pandemic nature of the drug problem and its co-relation with criminality;
• emphasized public support for the President and the anti-illegal drug campaign;
• affirmed the Philippines’ unwavering commitment to human rights, the rule of law and due process;
• underscored that the campaign against illegal drugs is not discriminatory;
• pointed out mechanisms that ensure that law enforcement officers respect human rights and observe rule of law and due process;
• emphasized that on the issue of killings, the government does not sanction “vigilante” killings committed outside legitimate operations and these together with killings perpetrated by drug syndicates are being investigated and prosecuted;
• reported that the government is strengthening its integrated comprehensive drug rehabilitation program for the drug users who voluntarily surrendered; and,
• called on all states and international organisations and agencies to support the Philippine campaign against illegal drugs.

This Fact Sheet provides updates on the anti-illegal drug campaign, and brings forward relevant facts to put the issue in the proper perspective.  

The anti-illegal drug campaign in context

The anti-illegal drug (AID) campaign is being carried out under the national agenda to uplift the dignity and human rights of Filipinos through inclusive development.

In his inaugural state of the nation address, President Rodrigo R. Duterte has stated the following commitment:

“There can never be real, tangible and felt development without making our people feel secure. And it is our duty to uplift our people’s welfare.”

 

“With this, my administration shall be sensitive to the Philippines’s obligations to promote, and protect, fulfill the human rights of our citizens, especially the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable and social justice will be pursued, even as the rule of law shall at all times prevail.

 

“My administration shall implement a human approach to development and governance, as we improve our people’s welfare in the areas of health, education, adequate food and housing, environmental preservation, and respect for culture.

 

“Human rights must work to uplift human dignity.”

The Philippines is facing a grave social ill that has been existing for many years -- the massive proliferation of illegal drugs. The drug menace is compounded by other social ills such as rampant criminality, lingering poverty, and corruption in the bureaucracy.

In its exercise of sovereignty and self-determination, the Philippines is resolute in saving its people from the scourge of illicit drugs. The Filipino people supports the President’s platform on peace and order based on his consistent high approval and trust ratings.

The AID campaign is but a subset of the overall socio-economic agenda of the Duterte administration.

The Philippines employs a whole-of-government approach to uplift the dignity of Filipinos by alleviating poverty, promoting social inclusion and making communities safer and more secure. The entire Philippine government is working under such mandate.

Aside from the AID campaign and in connection with the socio-economic agenda, the Duterte administration’s priorities include the effective implementation of agrarian reform through continued distribution of lands[1], improvement of communal irrigation systems to farmer-beneficiaries, and provision of agri-fishery assistance to farmers and fisherfolks, primarily through infrastructure projects, and promoting the rights of workers through the new labor policy of ending the short-term contractual system in employing workers or the so-called ENDO practice. 

The drug epidemic in the country prevents ordinary Filipinos, mainly the youth, from developing their full potentials and enjoying the fruits of the country’s socio-economic progress. 

Demographics underline this concern: the Philippines has over 30 million boys and girls under the age of 14 years.  It is in this context that addressing drug abuse and the manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs in the country is seen as an important element in supporting human development and in securing real and inclusive economic growth.

The priority of the Duterte administration with respect to the reduction of all forms of crimes, including manufacture, sale and distribution of illegal drugs, is being supported by a holistic program that seeks to combat not only the crimes but also the corruption that perpetuates such crimes.

The approach is comprehensive, covering information and education campaigns, community organization and mobilization, and police-community partnerships to ensure public order and safety.

1. The right to life of every Filipino and their right to a society conducive for development have been eroded by widespread drug abuse

The right to life of every Filipino, including their right to live in a society that allows for the development of their full human potential, has been eroded by the sad state of peace and order in many communities brought about by the drug problem, the magnitude of which has only been realized in the current administration.

Statistics show that the Philippine drug problem has been growing in the recent years:

• Between 2012 and 2015:
  • the number of drug users[2] has risen from 1.3 million to 1.8 million. The figure 1.8 million translates to 2.3 per cent drug prevalence. With a margin of error of -5% to +5%, actual number may be as high as 5.71 million.
  • the number of confirmed positives in voluntary drug test results[3] has risen from 1,383 to 16,838
  • admissions in rehabilitation centers have risen from 2,744 to 5,402, of which new admissions numbered 4,392, the highest in 10 years[4]
  • the number of persons arrested and cases filed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority (PDEA) has risen from 10,159 to 19,432[5]
  • anti-illegal drugs operations conducted have risen from 15,613 to 25,041[6]

The drug problem has been strongly co-related to criminality in the country. Serious crimes that include rape with homicide, murder, kidnapping, armed assault, robbery and so on have been perpetuated by people and groups under the influence of illegal drugs, and have posed serious threats to communities across the Philippines.

2.    The State affirms its sole obligation to protect its people by addressing the drug problem through a holistic institutionalized approach

Even prior to 2016, the following five pillars of action supported the Philippine  government’s strategies to address the drug problem:

• Drug Supply Reduction covers law enforcement, regulatory compliance, judicial and legislative measures and sectoral capacity-building programs.

• Drug Demand Reduction covers policy formulation, preventive education programs, treatment and rehabilitation and research.

• Alternative Development seeks the reduction of production of marijuana and eliminates its cultivation through sustainable rural developments and alternative livelihood programs.

• Civic Awareness and Responseconventional and social media, and socio-civic partnerships are mobilized in the campaign against illegal drugs.

• Regional and International Cooperationactively seeks regional and international cooperation in its active campaign on drug abuse prevention and control.

These strategies and corresponding actions are being implemented as whole-of-government endeavors involving national agencies, sub-ministerial bureaus and various levels of local government units down to the barangay level[7]. Many activities are carried out in partnership with socio-civic organisations, NGOs as well as school, youth and church-based groups. 

3.   The State recognizes the drug problem as a health issue and promotes and protects the drug users' right to health

Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation is subsumed under the drug demand reduction pillar wherein drug dependents are treated, rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.

To address the number of drug users and pushers seeking drug treatment and rehabilitation, the President ordered the establishment and support of drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation centers under Executive Order No. 4.

The Departments of Health (DOH), Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), PNP and PDEA are working closely to implement E.O. No. 4.

The DDB has issued a number of guidelines to manage the assessment of those who surrender and seek drug treatment and rehabilitation. To complement DDB guidelines, the DOH has implemented Community-Based Rehabilitation. Under these guidelines, referrals are made to medical facilities for those who need treatment.  The rehabilitation of those who are assessed as low-risk is managed within the community. 

Of the 700,000 drug user surrenderees[8], only around 1-2 per cent is estimated to need admission and treatment in facilities, with the majority to be managed through community-based services.

           WHO technical assistance

DOH developed the algorithm on community-based rehabilitation program in 2016 with the technical assistance of the World Health Organization (WHO).  

Since September 2016, WHO has been providing the following technical assistance to the Philippines in the area of clinical drug treatment, in collaboration with the European Union (EU):

• review of national approach to treatment scale-up;
• identifying best practices to inform the national treatment program;
• supporting the development of national standards, tools and guidelines for rehabilitation and care programs for drug users; and,
• supporting the creation of complementary treatment structures, particularly voluntary half-way houses and drug dependence clinics.

From May 2017, WHO will further intensify technical assistance in terms of:

1. Policy dialogue on public health aspects of drug use;
2. Technical support and institution-building;
3. Models and standards for rights-and evidence-based treatment, care and support;
4. Legislative and regulatory support; and,
5. Monitoring and implementation research.

Scaling up national capacity

As of 31 December 2016, there are 48 DOH-accredited treatment and rehabilitation centers in the Philippines. 45 of them are residential facilities. 17 are government facilities, and the rest are private. Fourteen (14) Treatment Rehabilitation Centers (TRC) were funded for expansion and upgrading. PHP 130 million was used in 2016 alone to 13 treatment and rehabilitation centers, 6 DOH regional offices and 8 DOH hospitals to augment budget for drug testing, Treatment Rehabilitation Center residents and training for new community and TRC-based service providers. Enhanced training of thousands of barangay health workers for their role in community-based rehabilitation programs started in January 2017.

DOH is also preparing for the establishment of 4 mega – TRCs in 4 regions in the country, the establishment of each costing PHP 694 million (US$14.5 million).  In terms of health human resources, the DOH has:

• accredited 262 doctors as physicians and psychiatrists for these facilities as of May 2016;
• trained 2,212 workers on community-based treatment as of 29 September 2016; and,
• accredited 252 psychologists, social welfare officers and nurses for  recovering drug dependents as of May 2016.

Under the National Anti-Drug Plan of Action 2015-2020, the government intends to put up a government-managed Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in each region by 2020. DOH is projecting investments of up to PHP 5.8 billion (US$120 million) from 2017 to 2020 to implement the health mandate of the Plan of Action, to include building human resource capacity and competency development, and mobilize barangay health workers in the prevention and control of drug abuse.

DDB’s Oplan Sagip[9] set the guidelines for the handling of surrenderees, including the screening procedures and prescribing interventions depending on the result of the screening process.  It also sets the mechanism for monitoring the local drug abuse campaigns in the communities at the barangay level[10], for reporting through local government channels, and coordination at all levels of government on livelihood, training and civic programs.

1. The State is cognizant of the rule of law and due process in the conduct of legitimate law enforcement operations. Violations in the conduct of such operations are and have been addressed by the appropriate accountability mechanisms

The focus of international and domestic media reports on the AID campaign has been the law enforcement operations.

           Law enforcement in 2016 in focus

• The number of persons arrested and cases filed by PDEA in 2016 reached 27,943.

• The number of anti-illegal drug operations carried out by PDEA in 2016 reached 32,230.

• For the period covering 1 July 2016 to 30 January 2017, the Philippine National Police (PNP)[11] visited 7,026,844 homes as part of Operation Tokhang[12] and conducted 43,434 operations, during which it arrested 43,432 people, among whom 25,694 are users and 28,280 are pushers. During these operations, 2,602 people were killed.

• Of the 1,237,962 people covered by PNP operations, 95.43 per cent (1.181 million) surrendered, 4.3 per cent (53,974) were arrested and 0.21 per cent were killed.[13]  

International media reports have cited 7,000 killings in the Philippines, classifying them as extrajudicial killings and arbitrary executions.

Deaths acknowledged by authorities to be resulting from legal police operations are not extrajudicial or arbitrary executions.  Even as police authorities follow protocols during the conduct of these operations, the PNP abides by established processes for investigating these deaths.

The Philippine Government denounces and will not resort to extrajudicial or arbitrary executions.

Killings: perceptions vis-a-vis facts

The international community has been led to believe that there have been over 7,000 “extrajudicial killings” in the Philippines.   

In fact, there were 5,118 murder cases in the Philippines from 1 July 2016 to 19 February 2017. If the 2,144 killings resulting from law enforcement operations were added to this figure, the figure would indeed be over 7,000 killings. Classifying all these are “extrajudicial killings” is clearly wrong.

The spike in the statistics on killings, while in part coming from data on casualties from legitimate police operations against drug criminals, arose from killings carried out by vigilante elements or purges within the drug syndicates, which are being investigated as murders. It should be pointed out further that police investigations indicate that over half of the killings recorded in the last seven months are suspected to be non-drug related.

From 1 July 2016 to 19 February 2017, the PNP recorded 5,118 murder cases involving a total of 5,544 victims.[14]  During this period:

• 3,789 cases were under investigation;
• 1,329 murder cases were filed in court;
• 1,302 incidents were suspected to be drug-related;
• 3,811 incidents were suspected to be non-drug related.

Media reports do not point out that Philippine authorities are among the casualties of the killings: 35 PNP and AFP officials have been killed, and 107 wounded during AID law enforcement operations.

PNP investigations of deaths resulting from law enforcement operations

Media reports do not underscore that PNP conducts investigations of the 1,785 police operations involving 1,123 personnel that have resulted in the killing of 2,144 suspects from July 2016 to 13 January 2017.  Below is the status of these investigations: [15]

• 851 are pending investigation
• 27 investigations have been terminated
• 494 are under pre-charge investigation
• 379 have been dropped and closed
• 34 are for summary hearing.

Media reports do not highlight that PNP also subjects its personnel to drug testing. From July 2016 to 20 February 2017, PNP testing yielded 196 positives for illegal drugs. These cases are being handled according to administrative regulations.

The surrenderees in the nationwide campaign include 45 police officers, including 20 commissioned and 25 non-commissioned officers.

Moreover, media reports have not given due attention to the following:

• the increase of manpower complement of the PNP Internal Affairs Services to better handle its mandate to investigate the conduct of the law enforcement operations;
• the President’s orders for the PNP to cleanse its ranks in response to incidents attesting to abuse of authority by PNP personnel;
• as a result of the internal cleansing process in the PNP, at least 21 police officers are facing criminal charges, while 21 have been administratively charged;[16] and,
• the President’s issuance of Executive Order 15 on 6 March 2017, creating the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs, with PDEA as chair, to reinforce and streamline government-wide coordination on the AID campaign.

1. The State has opened the AID campaign for more active engagement by all groups and sectors in Philippine society

The State has opened the anti-illegal drug campaign to a more active engagement and participation by all groups and sectors in Philippine society.

The government has set in place frameworks and mechanisms that engage individuals, the entire government from the barangays (villages), municipal and provincial governments at the local level to the national level and partners across all sectors of the society in the campaign against illegal drugs.

The private sector has responded positively and has expressed willingness to donate funds for the construction of more rehabilitation centers to accommodate Filipinos who surrendered voluntarily and who need residential treatment.

1. The AID campaign is succeeding in making communities safer

The law enforcement drive has already accomplished the following results as of 31 December 2016[17]:

• among the 942 High-Value Targets[18], 388 have surrendered, 126 arrested, 25 were killed in police operations and 32 were killed in cases under investigation. 371 targets are unaccounted for.
• 4 mega-drug production laboratories in Pampanga, Isabela, Las Pinas and Catanduanes, and 3 warehouses in Angeles City, San Juan and Paranaque have been dismantled.

Lower crime rates nationwide

Cases of robbery, theft, carnapping, motorcycle theft, rape and physical injury in Metro Manila from July to December 2016 are dramatically lower than the number registered from January to June 2016[19]. The weekly average crime rate on crimes against property went down by 30.56 per cent, from 301 to 209.

For January – November 2016, index crime rate in the Philippines declined by 31.67 per cent compared to the same period in 2015[20]. This is broken down as follows:

These statistics attest to the improved safety of Philippine communities as a result of the AID campaign.  

1. The Philippines engages regional and international support in the AID campaign

The Philippines has called on all States and international organizations and agencies, including the United Nations to support this campaign which is being pursued within the framework of the government’s human rights-based approach to governance and development. This framework is guided by the following principles:

• Government directions shall be anchored on the overall thrust of uplifting the human dignity of every Filipino, especially the poor at the fringes of society;
• Use and protection of resources shall be made transparent in keeping with accountabilities, especially in the fight against corruption;
• Implementation of social service projects shall not discriminate upon anyone; if at all, the most vulnerable and marginalized shall be prioritized;
• Respect for the rule of law shall prevail, even as the government remains determined to ensure that laws are justly applied, especially for those who have less in life; and,
• Inclusive participation shall be the hallmark of all decision-making processes, leading to genuine people empowerment.

The Philippines is a country that takes pride in being a vibrant democracy whose state policy is enshrined in the Constitution that protects the dignity of every human being and guarantees full respect for human rights. #

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