PDEA filed more drug cases in 2014 but struggled with case resolution, says Cacdac

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency was able to file more drug cases in 2014 compared to 2013 as the agency vowed to tighten its crackdown on illegal drugs in the country.

The PDEA lodged 17,074 cases before the courts in 2014, a 62.57 percent increase from the previous year’s 10,502 cases.

However, the agency noted the low conviction rate in the past decade, with only 27 percent of the filed cases in the past 12 years resulting in the conviction of apprehended suspects.

“We are not discouraged by the low conviction rate. It all boils down to the preparation and filing of air-tight drug cases, complemented by the prioritization of court duties, to guarantee the prosecution of suspects,” said PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac Jr.

From 2002 to 2014, 106,092 drug cases were filed, but only 5,265 or 5 percent resulted in conviction. Around 19,585 or 18.46 percent were settled. A total of 9,051 or 8 percent led to acquittal and 5,269 or 5 percent to dismissal.

The remaining unresolved cases are still pending before the court or provisionally dismissed and archived in the meantime, according to Cacdac.

The PDEA chief said the usual reason for the dismissal or acquittal was the failure of the arresting officer to comply with the provision on custody and disposition of seized illegal drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Section 21 of the law deals with the custody and disposition of recovered illegal drugs, chemicals and equipment. It is strict in its requirements on witnesses, inventory of evidence and issuance of drug examination results.

This provision has been amended through RA 10640, which was passed last year. The amendment reduced the number of inventory witnesses from three to two – an elected public official, and a representative from the National Prosecution Service, or an elected official and member of the media.

The law also allows the conduct of physical inventory of confiscated illegal drugs at the site, the nearest police station or office of the arresting unit as long as the integrity and evidentiary value are preserved. It also gives forensic chemists enough time to complete the examination of the evidence.

“RA 10640 will speed up the process in the inventory of illegal drugs and help prevent the dismissal of drug cases due to technicalities in the custody and disposition of evidence,” Cacdac added.