The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday disclosed that a total of 5, 903 individuals were killed in 178, 616 drug operations conducted by law enforcement agencies since the start of the Duterte administration in 2016.

In their latest data, PDEA also showed that from July 1, 2016 to September 30, 2020, a total of 259, 296 suspected drug suspects were arrested in their operations.

Of the total arrested, 10,488 were high-value targets, including 283 foreigners, 356 elected officials, 102 uniformed personnel, 438 government employees, 3,034 target-listed, 747 drug group leaders, 66 armed group members, 1,004 drug den maintainers, 229 listed as wanted, 16 celebrities or Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) license holders, and 4,213 suspects nabbed during high-impact operations.

Confiscated were P44.22 billion worth of shabu while 632 illegal drug dens and clandestine laboratories have been dismantled.

According to PDEA, 3,354 minors were also rescued.

As to the number of barangays cleared from illegal drugs, 20,289 of the 42,046 barangays have been cleared.

Just recently, the Philippines was included in the 2020 Global Law and Order by Washington-based Gallup’s Top 50 nations with good peace and order.

President Rodrigo Duterte in a televised briefing Thursday said the recent survey “only proved that our fight against criminality and drugs has been successful”. Ella Dionisio/DMS