MANILA — Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III criticized the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for what he described as its failure to decisively eliminate illegal drugs in the country, as lawmakers deliberated Senate Bill No. 190.

The measure seeks to abolish both the PDEA and the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), consolidating their functions into a proposed Presidential Drug Enforcement Authority under the Office of the President.

‘Holistic approach’ lacking

In the bill’s explanatory note, Sotto said the country’s anti-drug campaign lacked a holistic strategy, resulting in significant casualties and the dismissal of many cases in court.

During the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs hearing, PDEA Deputy Director General for Operations Renato Gumban said the agency does not support the proposal to abolish the two bodies, even as it acknowledged Sotto’s intent to strengthen anti-drug efforts.

Gumban noted that the original law creating PDEA in 2002 had already abolished the anti-illegal drugs units of the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Customs, designating PDEA as the lead agency in consolidating enforcement operations against illegal narcotics.

But Sotto, who was instrumental in passing the law that established PDEA, said the agency misunderstood the intent of his new proposal.

Elevating status, broadening mandate

Under Senate Bill 190, the anti-drug body would be elevated under the Office of the President and granted supervisory powers. Sotto argued that this restructuring would strengthen coordination and expand the focus beyond enforcement.

He criticized what he described as PDEA’s heavy emphasis on enforcement, saying prevention and rehabilitation programs have been neglected.

“Successful ba kayo? Hindi. Nadali pa kayo ng tokhang, ‘di ba? Ano nangyari ngayon? Ayun, may ICC (International Criminal Court), ‘di ba? So we want this upgraded. We want better for the country. We want a better way to address the problem of illegal drugs and drug abuse,” Sotto said.

The reference to “tokhang” relates to the controversial anti-drug operations conducted during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently facing charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court in connection with the drug war.

Enforcement vs. addiction

Sotto stressed that illegal drugs and drug abuse should be treated as separate but related concerns.

According to him, eliminating drug supply alone will not solve addiction, as users may seek alternative substances if underlying dependency issues are not addressed.

The Senate chief said the proposed restructuring aims to recalibrate the country’s anti-drug strategy by integrating enforcement with prevention, rehabilitation, and long-term public health measures.