MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla asserted on Monday, October 19, that the bloody anti-drug campaign of former President Rodrigo Duterte failed to suppress the supply and demand of shabu and other illicit substances during his term.
Remulla pushed back against assertions that illegal drugs have surged under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., offering market pricing as a primary metric.
He pointed out that the street price of shabu has nearly doubled, climbing from ₱3,500 per gram under Duterte to ₱6,800 per gram at present.
“Shabu did not go down under Duterte’s time. Make no mistake about it. It did not go down,” Remulla maintained.
According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) chief, law enforcement agencies have intercepted over 17 tons of illegal drugs since 2024 through maritime operations, checkpoints at airports and seaports, and the tracking of high-profile shipments, such as a recent interception involving a haul routed through Laos.
Remulla also connected the ongoing crackdown and strategic shifts in police methodology to a broader decline in focused crimes. He reported that stricter regulations on public drinking have helped drive down rape cases by 24%, contributing to a stronger sense of public safety and higher trust ratings for the national police force.
The remarks follow the recent interception in Laos of a massive ₱3.54 billion illegal drug shipment destined for the Philippines, which investigators believe involved a Filipino acting as a drug mule.