Rep. Teodoro: Strong anti-drug policy should go beyond enforcement

MANILA, Philippines — While he was responsible for defending the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) proposed budget for 2027, Marikina Rep. Marcelino Teodoro has admitted that the government needs to have a strong anti-drug policy that goes beyond mere enforcement.

In his sponsorship speech delivered on Wednesday, to defend DDB’s P526.5 million budget for 2027, Teodoro said that there has to be focus on prevention, treatment of drug dependents, rehabilitation, and eventual reintegration.

“A serious anti-drug policy cannot end with enforcement. It must also ask what happens before addiction takes hold, what happens when a person needs treatment, and what happens after rehabilitation when that person tries to return to family and community,” Teodoro, one of the vice chair of the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations, said.

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“Kung hindi natin alam kung nasaan ang problema, paano natin malalaman kung saan ilalagay ang pera? Kung hindi natin alam kung aling programa ang gumagana, baka taon-taon lang tayong gumagastos dahil nakasanayan na,” he pointed out.

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(If we do not know where the problem is, how will we be certain of where to place public funds? If we do not know what program of the government works, we might be spending aimlessly every year just because we have been accustomed to it.)

According to Teodoro, there is a need for data on which programs give the government a better chance of fighting illegal drug trade especially with the DDB budget going down by P71.6 million compared to the 2026 allocation, which was at P598.1 million.

“That is why data matters. Research has value when it guides actual decisions to guide us for future allocation of resources. It should help identify where more treatment is needed. It should show where community-based programs should be expanded,” he said.

“It should guide where prevention should be strengthened. And it should help Congress and the Executive identify which interventions are producing the best results,” he added.

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Part of the data, the lawmaker noted, should show which programs and anti-drug efforts are most effective—measured by identifying which initiatives reach the intended targets, or families and communities struggling with drug dependence.

“Doon dapat makita ang halaga ng pondo: umaabot ang serbisyo. Kung may nanay sa probinsiya na gustong ipagamot ang anak niya, dapat may malinaw siyang mapupuntahan. Kung natapos ang rehab, dapat may support sa pagbalik sa komunidad,” Teodoro noted.

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(That is where we will see the importance of funds: it is when service reaches the people. If there are mothers in the province who want their children to be treated, there has to be a clear system that points to where she should go. And once rehab ends, there should be support in reintegration to communities.)

During the discussions on the DDB’s budget, Teodoro also revealed that an executive order formalizing the anti-drug strategy of President Marcos’ administration will be issued later this year.

Teodoro said the Presidential Management Staff is reviewing the 2018 Philippine Anti-Illegal Drugs Strategy (PADS), with an updated version expected by December.

“We are waiting for the enhanced PADS based on the executive order because the times and issues are changing,” he said.

Part of the strategy, Teodoro said, is broadening the anti-drug campaign to include “health, social and developmental” services as part of efforts to implement a more holistic approach to curb drug abuse, he said.

READ: Marcos to issue executive order formalizing anti‑drug stance this year

Marcos’ anti-drug campaign saw a shift from the hardline approach of his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte, which focused on enforcement and anti-drug operations. While several Duterte allies have deemed the drug war to be a success, human rights advocates have criticized the past administration for its bloody campaign, with cases being filed against the former President.

LOOK: Duterte faces ICC in first in-person court appearance

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Earlier, Duterte attended the proceedings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in-person for the first time since he was arrested last March 11, 2025. The former president was arrested after local police assisted the International Criminal Police Organization in implementing the ICC arrest order, borne out of the crimes against humanity of mass murder charges filed against him. /cb