Drug war amid pandemic: Lacson says new PDEA chief has his ‘work cut out for him’
Sen. Panfilo Lacson. Senate PRIB file photo / Joseph Vidal
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday lauded the designation of Wilkins Villanueva as the new director-general of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
In a statement, Lacson described Villanueva as a “good and professional officer who is fit for the job.”
“The President couldn’t have appointed a more qualified head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, having served our country for nearly 20 years with the Philippine National Police Narcotics Group and with the PDEA,” Lacson, a former chief of the Philippine National Police, said.
“With the challenge of going after drug personalities amid the new normal posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, he indeed has his work cut out for him,” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Villanueva, PDEA’s Region 10 director, at the helm of the agency to replace outgoing chief Aaron Aquino.
“I look forward to working with him, being the Senate Finance Subcommittee Chair and Sponsor of the PDEA and Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) budgets, among others,” the senator went on.
