MANILA, Philippines — Over 1.37 million drug personalities surrendered to authorities during the first 15 months of the Duterte administration or before the anti-drug campaign was removed from the Philippine National Police.
PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said over the weekend that police units resumed conducting anti-drug operations after President Duterte returned the campaign to the PNP.
In December 2016, Dela Rosa said the PNP accounted for 70 percent of 1.8 million personalities on the drug list of the Dangerous Drugs Board.
Citing data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Duterte said there are four million drug users in the country.
The PNP’s anti-drug war has resulted in the surrender of 1,262,188 drug personalities from July to October, according to PNP directorate for operations chief Camilo Pancratius Cascolan.
The surrenderees included 49,900 minors, 1.2 million males and 87,000 females.
Data showed that at least 600,000 were unemployed and 260,000 self-employed.
Cascolan said 46,443 of the surrenderees were students.
During the period, the PNP dismantled clandestine drug laboratories in Valenzuela City; Magalang, Pampanga; Cauayan, Isabela, and Virac, Catanduanes.
A major drug laboratory in Arayat, Pampanga was also destroyed by the PNP and PDEA.