MANILA – Efforts against illegal drugs under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. have brought about “remarkable results”, the Philippine National Police (PNP) claimed.
The PNP made the remark after former president Rodrigo Duterte said during a Senate hearing on Monday that drug-related crimes were on the rise under the current administration.
“In the first two years of our enhanced operations, we seized illegal drugs valued at P35.6 billion and apprehended 122,309 individuals involved in drug-related offenses,” the PNP said in a statement.
“These accomplishments highlight the effectiveness of our strategies and reinforce our dedication to combating the illegal drug trade,” it added.
Former President Duterte alleged that drug-related crimes increased since his term ended on June 30, 2022.
“It is unfortunate that drug-related crimes are on the rise again. Every day, you can read about children being raped, people getting killed and robbed, and just recently a drug den was raided within the Malacañang Complex,” Duterte said.
“This clearly manifests that purveyors of this menace are back in business,” the former Chief Executive added.
Malacañang and the Department of Justice both dismissed the remark, saying that data from the PNP showed otherwise.
The PNP said there was a 61.87% decrease in total index crimes.
“From July 1, 2022, to July 28, 2024, we noted a remarkable 61.87% decrease in total index crimes, with 217,830 reported incidents during the same period of 2016 to 2018 to just 83,059. This significant downward trend spans various categories of crime,” the PNP said.
“Notably, crimes against persons, including murder, homicide, physical injuries, and rape, decreased by 55.69%. Specifically, we recorded reductions of 11,641 in murders, 2,420 in homicides, 2,719 in rape incidents, and a notable decrease of 34,966 in physical injuries,” it added./PN
