MANILA – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has amended the department order governing its anti-illegal drugs task force, limiting its jurisdiction to major drug cases while assigning smaller cases to local prosecutors.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, DOJ Undersecretary Ian Dato said Department Order (DO) 161, which established the task force, was revised following a recommendation from Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon.

“There was a recommendation from Prosec General Fadullon that this DO necessitated an amendment or updating because of drug cases and up with the task force to address unintended consequences which resulted in congestion in the task force,” Dato said.

Under the revised guidelines, the DOJ task force will handle only cases involving at least 10 kilograms of illegal drugs in Metro Manila and 15 kilograms in other areas of the country. Smaller drug cases will be prosecuted by local prosecution offices.

“So, the changes now would be only drugs with 10 kilos within Metro Manila and 15 kilograms elsewhere will be referred to the task force,” Dato said.

He added that the task force will also retain jurisdiction over cases involving public officials or law enforcement personnel, foreigners apprehended at airports or seaports, and selected grave offenses, including clandestine laboratories and obstruction of drug cases.

“Then number 2, if the respondent is a public officer or law enforcement agent. Three, if there’s a foreigner involved intercepted in airports seaports and then 4, if there’s a select grave crimes or acts like clandestine laboratories and obstruction of drug case,” he explained.

“Only those instances will the task force on anti-illegal drugs exercise jurisdiction,” he added.

Dato said the revisions are intended to transform the DOJ task force into a specialized unit focused on syndicate-level drug operations, while allowing local prosecutors to handle other drug-related cases within their respective jurisdictions.