MANILA – Police officers will return to the streets to reach illegal drug victims as the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday launched the Anti-Illegal Drugs Operations through Reinforcement and Education (ADORE), the final phase of the Oplan Double Barrel anti-drug strategy.

“Basically, we would like to have the end game strategy for this administration by completing the (Oplan) Double Barrel that we started in 2016 so this is a commitment by the PNP that through the reinforcement, this is our rehabilitation, recovery and wellness and reintegration of the more than 1.2 million that surrendered, we will go back to the streets now that we are in a new normal, that the environment will allow us to reach out again to them, the victims of these illegal drugs,” PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos said during the program’s launch in Camp Crame in Quezon City.

ADORE is anchored on a holistic approach highlighted by reinforcement and education-based strategy, in support of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and local government units and in close coordination with other law enforcement agencies, national government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders utilizing the ‘8Es’ implementation track of the infinity loop of the double-barrel to eradicate proliferation of illegal drugs in the community.

The ADORE’s 8Es are engineering the structure, education, extraction of information, enforcement, enactment of laws, environment, economics, and evaluation.

“As I promised, the PNP is committed to going back to the street now that the environment will allow us to go back to bring the help of the government in this campaign against illegal drugs, ganun po ang aming (that’s our) role. We are doing our best to be able to deliver the best result of the campaign but again clearly the Police Assistance Desks (PADs) and its predecessor, the national action plan for anti-drug action plan is a continuing program,” he stressed.

He said the PNP, together with PDEA, will continue reducing the supply by law enforcement function.

“Again we acknowledge that the PDEA is the lead agency and the PNP will always be there to support the campaign against illegal drugs. As long as there are targets hindi kami tumitigil together with the PDEA. Ito kasi yung (this is the) approach on supply reduction,” he noted.

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III, who graced the event as guest of honor, said the agency shares the vision of a healthy country with the PNP through health promotion activities on substance use and abuse.

“The department hopes that through the launch of Oplan Double-Barrel Finale 2022 Adore, the BADACs would be strengthened to help eradicate drug dependency of Persons Who Use Drugs (PWUDs) and help them recover from this condition. I am confident that this campaign will help in improving our country’s healthcare system in general and provide our people with a substance abuse-free environment in particular. So let us all work together for a healthy Pilipinas,” said Duque.

Duque said the DOH believes that substance use and abuse are chronic but treatable medical conditions and that treating this condition requires a holistic approach through a whole of government, whole of society, and the whole of systems approach.

“The very same best practice that we have adopted when President Rodrigo Roa Duterte put together the (Inter-Agency) Task Force (for the Management of) Emerging Infectious Diseases and the (National) Task Force against Covid-19. There is indeed a need to ensure that individuals suffering from this condition receive sufficient support from the national down to the community level and to help persons who use drugs or PWUDs, the DOH has implemented programs such as the establishment of drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation facilities, capacity building of rehabilitation practitioners, evidence-based drug rehabilitation programs and services in the country,” he stressed. (PNA)