PRRD Signs EO Creating Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs

President Rodrigo Duterte signed an executive order creating the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) and Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) leading it. Based on the EO, PDEA will be the chairperson of ICAD with 20 national government agencies as its members.

These agencies are the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of National Defense (DND), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Customs (BOC), Bureau of Immigrations (BI), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

Among ICAD’s function is to take charge of the rehabilitation program of drug dependents and also their reintegration to the community. Meanwhile, the task force is tasked to take charge of the anti-illegal drug operations.

Pres. Duterte signed EO No. 15 on March 6 and was officially released on March 10.

It is among the thrusts of the current administration to suppress the drug problem in the country. (rmn/PIA-7/ Carmel Loise Matus)