284 public servants nabbed for drugs

Data shows 79 elected officials among arrested during pandemic

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 284 elected officials and other government workers were arrested for alleged involvement in illegal drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The suspects consist of 166 government employees, 79 elected officials and 39 uniformed personnel. They are among 4,170 high-value targets arrested since President Duterte started his crackdown on illegal drugs in 2016.

Data from the government’s RealNumbers PH platform showed up to 574 drug suspects were killed in alleged shootouts with lawmen since Duterte enforced quarantine restrictions in 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19.

A total of 92,009 other drug suspects were arrested in 63,977 anti-drug operations nationwide.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and other law enforcement agencies rescued 1,084 minors ages four to 17 who were allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade.

Duterte’s war on drugs has killed 6,229 drug suspects and incarcerated 327,039 others since 2016.

The government confiscated and destroyed around 20,075.93 kilos of shabu, marijuana and cocaine and 163,176 pieces of the party drug ecstasy valued at P75.35 billion.

A total of 24,303 barangays have been cleared of illegal drugs while 11,129 are still drug-affected.