CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) is planning to destroy all illegal drugs confiscated during its different operations in the region by next week.
President Rodrigo Duterte recently ordered the PDEA to destroy all confiscated drugs within one week of seizure to avoid recycling of the contraband by unscrupulous individuals.
PDEA-7 Director Levi Ortiz said destroying the drugs is quite challenging but they vowed to follow the orders of the President and proceed with the destruction of the confiscated drugs.
“Challenging talaga siya kasi wala tayong sariling incinerator at kailangan pa nating magrequest sa iba na i-destroy yung drugs,” said Ortiz.
(It is very challenging because we don’t have our own incinerator and we need to request somewhere else to destroy the drugs.)
Without their own incinerator, PDEA-7 usually destroys confiscated drugs at funeral parlors offering cremation services for free.
The PDEA-7 currently has 11 kilos of shabu, 20 kilos marijuana, and P6 million worth expired medicine in their inventory that is up for destruction.
The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) has also turned over a considerable amount of confiscated drugs to PDEA-7 for destruction.
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said that the city is now reviewing the request of PDEA-7 for an incinerator. This was promised to them by the City Council back in 2019.
The incinerator was requested in a resolution by the late Councilor Antonio Cuenco.
Read: Councilor Tony Cuenco succumbs to COVID-19
The mayor assured the PDEA-7 that the promised incinerator will be delivered as a budget has already been allotted for it.
/bmjo