PDEA beefs up operations, hires 196 new agents

MANILA, Philippines - A total of 196 new agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) will be deployed to beef up the personnel in anti-narcotics operations in different parts of the country. This was announced Tuesday by PDEA director general Dionisio Santiago, who said the new agents are graduates from the PDEA Academy in Silang, Cavite. Santiago said the new agents will be assigned to regional offices in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao City, Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga since these offices badly need anti-narcotics personnel due to serious drug problems in the areas. He also said there is a growing interest among women to participate in the government's anti-drug campaign as he noted that of the 196 new PDEA agents, 95 are women. Santiago said they managed to absorb the new PDEA operatives because of the P407 million allotment coming from the Presidential Anti-Drug Commission (PADC), headed by Dr Constancia de Guzman. There has been a shortage in anit-narcotics personnel in PDEA after the Philippine National Police recalled some of its people from the agency when the PNP's five-year commitment ended. With the recall, the PDEA still continues to recruit field personnel to beef up its manpower. The PDEA ranks lack 400 personnel to fill up the agency's regular plantilla (posts). Santiago said the fight against illegal drugs in the country relies also on good intelligence work. - GMANews.TV