Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Western Visayas acting regional director Melvin Suarez Estoque assumed his new post as acting RD of PDEA-Negros Island Region July 1.
“We extend our gratitude to director Estoque for his guidance and service, and our warm welcome to director Ralph Rommel Torres as he begins his tour of duty in Region 6,” the PDEA6 said in a statement.
This leadership transition marks a continued pursuit of excellence, integrity, and strengthened anti-drug operations and advocacy efforts in Western Visayas and the NIR, the PDEA stressed.
Torres served as assistant RD of PDEA Region 9 and brings with him a wealth of experience and a commitment to the agency’s mandate, it added.
The PDEA, meanwhile, urged the public to be the eyes and ears of their neighborhood through its Operation: Private Eye (OPE).
“PDEA OPE is a reward and incentive program designed to fully engage the participation of the citizenry in the national anti-drug campaign by reporting illegal drug activities taking place in the communities,” PDEA director general Isagani Nerez said in a statement.
For the first quarter of 2025, a total of P7,061,202.68 cash rewards were given to 16 civilian volunteers, whose reports led to the successful conduct of 22 anti-illegal drugs operations nationwide.
“Paying no heed to their own safety, private citizens go out of their way to report illegal drug activities indicating that there is public trust and confidence in PDEA,” Nerez said.
The Operation Private Eye Reward Committee, which is composed of key PDEA officers and members from the business, academe, and religious sectors with proven integrity and probity, evaluated, deliberated and approved the resolution granting the monetary rewards to the qualified informants.
OPE aims to counter fear and apathy as hindrances to the active involvement of the citizenry in reporting illegal drug activities by ensuring the anonymity of the informant and the confidentiality of the information, the PDEA said.
PDEA requires the informants to use codenames and wear masks during the awarding ceremony to hide their real identity, it added.
To report illegal drug activities, the public is advised to forward the information through OPE Hotline Number 09178677332.
The “Bagong Pilipinas” flagship program of the Marcos administration promotes participatory governance by enlisting the active engagement of the public to foster a genuine sense of ownership in the nation’s fight against the drug menace.
“There is always strength in numbers. The more people engaged in the fight, the more potential for greater success,” Nerez added. ||
