With 'slight' decline among users, QuadComm questions Duterte drug war effectiveness

The House of Representatives Quad Committee (QuadComm) on Wednesday believes that the previous administration’s campaign against illegal drugs was not effective as government data showed that there was only a small decline among Filipino drug users between 2015 and 2019, three years into former president Rodrigo Duterte’s term.

Data from the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) showed there were 1,755,654 drug users surveyed in 2015, a year before Duterte won the presidential elections and launched his so-called war on drugs at a national level.

Although the figure slipped to 1,675,122 in 2019, it was only 4.59% less than the number of drug users in 2015.

“According to your data, there was only a slight decrease of drug users in 2019. Therefore, my question is, despite the killing of more than 30,000 during the time of the former president, the war on drugs was not that effective?” Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante asked the DDB during QuadComm’s 12th hearing.

DDB board secretary Michael Miatari replied: “As reflected, Mr. Chair, yes po.” 

Abante emphasized  that despite around 30,000 may have been killed during operations, the number of drug users was still huge during Duterte’s presidency.

“So that’s what I would like to tell our people. Despite the fact that you killed more than 30,000, yet, there was only a slight downtrend in the data that you made,” he said.

The Manila solon later asked former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency director general Wilkins Villanueva if he agreed that the drug war was not effective then.

“Sa dami ng pinatay sa panahon ni Pangulong Duterte, panahon mo General Wilkins…ay hindi masyadong epektibo ang nangyari sa war on drugs, according to statistics. Tama ba ako, General Wilkins?”

(Based on the numbers that were killed during the time of President Duterte and yours General Wilkins… the war on drugs did not seem to be very effective, according to statistics. Am I right, General Wilkins?) 

Villanueva simply responded, “Ayun po ang lumalabas.”  

(That’s what it appears to be.)

Government records show that there were at least 6,200 drug suspects killed in police operations from June 2016 to November 2021, but several human rights groups have refuted this and say that the number may have reached as much as 30,000 due to unreported related killings.

Former vice president Leni Robredo, who had a short-stint as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee Against Illegal Drugs, said in 2020 that the drug war was a failure with shabu supply and drug money reduced by only 1% in the last three years. 

The DDB data was based on the National Household Survey it conducted starting in 2004.

There were  6,765,773 drug users in 2004 but there was a sharp decline in 2008, with only 1,718,855 users. The DDB cited the decline to “sound policy making.”

“The decline in the drug use that you see is best explained as outcomes of successes in adopting international controlled frameworks and cooperation, sound policy making and implementation of the national drug strategies, and the wide array of drug demand reduction efforts for the general public and targeted population,” said Rebecca Arambulo, officer-in-charge of DDB’s Policy Studies, Research and Statistics Division.

GMA Integrated News sought for Duterte's camp for comment.—RF, GMA Integrated News