Just three years into President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s term, the amount of illegal drugs confiscated has already nearly matched the total haul seized over the entire six-year term of the previous administration.
But in stark contrast, the number of fatalities under President Marcos’ “peaceful” approach to the drug war remains a very small fraction of those recorded during the previous administration, highlighting a shift toward a more humane and reform-focused strategy.
In its latest report to the President, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said some PhP82.58 billion worth of shabu and other illegal drugs had been confiscated from July 1, 2022, to June 25, 2025.
The figure includes 11,039.31 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu worth PhP75.067 billion; 94.08 kilos of cocaine worth PhP498.624 million; and 140,067 pieces of the party drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or ecstasy worth PhP238.113 million.
In comparison, about PhP91.06 billion worth of illegal drugs were confiscated from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2022 – the full term of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
That total includes 12,079.5 kilos of shabu worth PhP82.14 billion; 530.63 kilos of cocaine worth PhP2.812 billion; and 171,434 pieces of ecstasy worth PhP291.437 million.
The illegal drugs seized so far under the Marcos administration include the confiscation of 1.5 tons of shabu on a fishing vessel off Zambales during a Philippine Navy operation on June 20.
PDEA put the value of the confiscated shabu at PhP10.2 billion, one of the highest one-time drug hauls in history.
Ordinary fisherfolk also contributed to the President’s anti-drug campaign, pulling in 1,304 kilos of shabu worth PhP8.87 billion from waters off different parts of Luzon from late May to mid-June and surrendering them to the authorities.
Meanwhile, data from the PDEA showed that in the past three years under President Marcos, 271 drug personalities were killed in operations, which was less than 5 percent of the 6,259 slain suspects during the six years of the previous administration, based on official records.
Under President Marcos, a total of 151,867 drug personalities have so far been arrested, while 2,069 minors involved in illegal drug activities have been rescued.
President Marcos had ordered law enforcement agencies to track down sources of large quantities of illegal drugs.
President Marcos had also ordered the police to go after street-level or “small-time” drug pushers while avoiding killing people on mere suspicion of links to drug syndicates. | PND
