Drilon asks Philippine Statistics Authority for 'reliable' data on number of drug dependents

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Sunday urged the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to provide relevant data on the number of drug dependents in the country.

"The Philippine Statistics Authority should perform its mandate as an impartial supplier of data para base sa data, we can craft the correct policy," Drilon told radio dzBB in an interview.

During the agency's budget hearing at the Senate on Friday, Drilon asked the PSA on its participation in getting the real data on the supposed drug problem in the country.

President Rodrigo Duterte had repeatedly said that there are at least four million drug addicts in the country.

Last May, Duterte sacked Benjamin Reyes as chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board for saying there were only 1.8 million Filipino drug dependents.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Loren Legarda, however, said that the PSA only relies on data provided by an inter-agency body composed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Justice, among others.

In the radio interview, Drilon stressed the importance of the PSA's job to provide reliable statistics, being the official government office mandated to do so.

"Sa ilalim ng batas, yung datos ng Philippine Statistics Authority ay siyang controlling sa ating pamahalaan. 'Yan po ang opisyal na statistics," he said.

"Kaya on the basis of the mandate of Philippine Statistics Authority, ilan ba talaga ang drug dependents sa bansa kasi 'yan po ang pagbabasehan ng ating polisiya tungkol sa seryosong problema natin," he added.

Drilon pointed out that the PNP may have a motive for releasing its own statistics on drug-related issues, especially that it has claimed that there is only one recorded extrajudicial killing under the current administration.

"Hindi naman natin sinasabi na nagsisinungaling sila ngunit sila po ay may motibo sa pagsabi nito. As such, they have to defend themselves from criticisms," he said.

"Ngayon sinasabi nila na walang extrajudicial killings. Paano natin ito mapagdedebatihan kung walang statistics?" he added.

Drilon had suggested the PSA and the National Economic Development Authority to use its resources and capability to come up with reliable data that could help them craft sound and better policies. —Erwin Colcol/ALG, GMA News