Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos has called for the immediate creation of a National Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force following the seizure of illegal drugs valued at P3.5 billion in Laos that were allegedly intended for air transport to the Philippines.
Santos, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said the interception of 512 kilos of shabu aboard a chartered Learjet 55B highlights the urgent need for enhanced inter-agency coordination, intelligence sharing, and stricter oversight of private air transport networks used by transnational drug syndicates.
In a formal letter to Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla, Santos expressed support for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) request for an executive order (EO) to establish the specialized task force.
The proposal aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s anti-illegal drug strategy, which emphasizes an evidence-based, whole-of-government approach.
“The committee believes that the DILG’s technical inputs will be crucial in ensuring that the proposed Task Force has a clear mandate, effective operational structure, well-defined agency responsibilities, and workable mechanisms for coordination and accountability,” Santos said.
Santos noted that the scope of international drug smuggling operations requires investigating not only courier personnel but also the high-level financiers operating behind the scenes.
He pointed out that Executive Order No. 15, series of 2017, originally mandated the formation of a National Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force under the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), but the unit was never fully operationalized or funded.
“The seizure of illegal drugs worth billions of pesos highlights the need for a more coordinated and intelligence-driven campaign against illegal drugs. We must strengthen our capacity to track drug syndicates, identify their financiers, and protect our country from becoming a destination for international drug shipments,” Santos said.
Santos, who also serves as Assistant Majority Floor Leader, stressed that enforcement efforts must look past street-level operations and target supply chains, border security, and financial flows.
He stated that the proposed entity should establish formal protocols connecting PDEA, the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Customs (BOC), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and foreign law enforcement agencies.
“The fight against illegal drugs requires a united national response. We must ensure that our agencies work together, follow the money, dismantle the syndicates behind these shipments, and hold those responsible accountable under the law,” Santos also said.