QuestionsQuestions (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 218)
The text states that PDEA was created under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, Republic Act No. 9165, to ensure efficient and effective law enforcement of provisions on dangerous drugs and/or precursors and essential chemicals.
Under R.A. 9165, the DDB is the policy-making and strategy-formulating body for the planning and formulation of drug prevention and control policies and programs.
R.A. 9165 provides for the abolition of the drug enforcement units of the PNP, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Customs.
The personnel of the abolished units shall continue to perform their tasks as detail service with the PDEA until such time that PDEA is fully operational and able to recruit sufficient new personnel.
Because PDEA must still develop its institutional capabilities to accomplish its mandated tasks; thus, it needs support during the transition.
The Office of the President, the PNP, and other agencies that were performing drug law enforcement and prevention functions prior to R.A. 9165 shall organize anti-drug task forces to support the PDEA.
PDEA shall exercise operational supervision and provide technical support to the main task force created by the PNP.
The President of the Philippines shall determine whether the DDB or the PDEA shall exercise operational supervision.
Funds shall be sourced from the mother agencies creating the task force and from the gross receipts of lotto operations.
The PCSO is ordered to create a standby fund in the amount of One Billion Pesos (P1,000,000,000.00) to fund the operations of the PDEA and supporting task forces.
Executive Order No. 206 dated May 15, 2003 is repealed.
All orders, rules, regulations, and issuances, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with Executive Order No. 218 are repealed or modified accordingly.
It takes effect immediately upon approval.
The EO is signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and the Executive Secretary credited is Alberto G. Romulo.
It highlights the need for a forceful, intensive, and unrelenting campaign against drug trafficking and use of illegal drugs at both syndicated and street-level.
It underscores that PDEA is tasked to enforce R.A. 9165, and therefore other agencies’ task forces must support PDEA under PDEA supervision/technical support (at least for the main PNP task force).