Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16) — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said 2,092 people nationwide were arrested in anti-illegal drug operations in the first two weeks of the year.
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In a media briefing, PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said the arrests were made during 1,518 separate operations from Jan. 1 to 14, where a combined ₱70 million worth of drugs were confiscated.
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The PNP also claimed that as of Jan. 12, a total of 26,883 barangays across the country “have been cleared of illegal drugs.”
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“This translates to 75.97 percent of the total of 35,385 barangays that were previously tagged as drug-affected,” Azurin said. “I commend the collective efforts of government agencies, especially those who work to attain this notable achievement.”
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As early as the campaign period, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had vowed to continue the Duterte administration’s flagship drug war, but in a “different way.” In September last year, he said his administration’s anti-drug campaign will focus more on prevention and on rehabilitation of users.
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Citing Dahas, a program run by the University of the Philippines, the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch reported last week that at least 90 people have been killed in “drug-related violence” since Marcos took office in end-June 2022.
READ: Human rights situation in PH ‘hardly changed’ – Human Rights Watch
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