ILLEGAL DRUGS

I. FACTS

A. Brief Significant Background

According to Wikipedia (2018), the prevalence of illegal drug use in

the Philippines is lower than the global average, according to the United Nations Office

on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). President Rodrigo Duterte has claimed that the country

could become a "narco-state". Two of the most used and valuable illegal drugs in the

country are methamphetamine hydrochloride (known locally as shabu)

and marijuana. In 2012, the United Nations said the Philippines had the highest rate of

methamphetamine use in East Asia, and according to a U.S. State Department report,

2.1 percent of Filipinos aged 16 to 64 use the drug based on 2008 figures by the

Philippines Dangerous Drugs Board[. As of 2016, the United Nations Office of Drugs

and Crime report that 1.1 percent of Filipinos aged 10 to 69 use the drug. [5] In Metro

Manila, most barangays are affected by illegal drugs.

B. Current Events and Data

PNP's drug war death toll tops 4,500 before SONA 2018

MANILA, Philippines – Just before President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his 3rd

State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 23, the number of deaths in his

intensified anti-drug campaign rose to more than 4,500.According to Philippine National

Police (PNP) documents obtained by Rappler, 4,540 drug suspects have been shot
dead in anti-drug operations, all presumed by cops to have fought back ("nanlaban").

The data cover the period of July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018.

There were also 149,265 people arrested and 1,274,148 who surrendered,

according to the PNP. This does not include figures from operations of other law

enforcement agencies like the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

PDEA's #RealNumbersPH tallying initiative that was updated on June 30 gave a

death toll of 4,354. Along with the high death toll, some P14.66 billion worth of

methamphetamine (shabu) have been seized in operations, weighing a total of 2,736

kilograms. The campaign has proven to be fatal not only for civilians, as the PDEA

counted at least 87 cops killed by suspects during drug busts. (www.rappler.com, 2018)

C. Documentation

The Duterte administration's anti-drug campaign rages on with rising numbers of seized

shabu accompanied by deaths. Duterte photo by Malacañang; drug raid photos by

Alecs Ongcal, Leanne Jazul/Rappler