CLARK ECONOMIC ZONE, Angeles City – The burst of arrests and voluntary surrender of pushers and users of dangerous drugs prompted President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last night to order the expansion of lockup and rehabilitation facilities all over the country.

The situation in the jails has become "very, very substandard" and the rehabilitation facilities are getting overcrowded, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina, Jr. informed the President during a command conference on illegal drugs here on Saturday night.

During a conference held at the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) building, the heads of the different agencies mobilized in the administration’s intensified war against dangerous drugs gave the President a update on their accomplishments thus far, including the number of suspected pushers and users arrested and who voluntarily turned themselves in.

The President was likewise apprised on the problem areas in the ongoing campaign, one of which is the lack of space and facilities in jails and rehabilitation centers.

The President then directed Lina and the heads of the law-enforcement agencies to hasten the expansion of the jail facilities and the opening of rehabilitation centers nationwide to accommodate the growing number of drug pushers and users netted in the ant-drug campaign.

Because of the intensified crackdown against the drug syndicates and pushers, many of those involved in the trade are coming out and willing to undergo voluntary rehabilitation, the President learned.

The situation in the jails has become "very, very much substandard," said Secretary Lina. "So the President has also directed us to tap into the P1-billion fund so we can expand our jail facilities and open the rehabilitation centers to as many of our citizens who would want to undergo rehabilitation,’ he added.

Lina said they are now conducting an inventory of the jails and will prioritize those that are heavily congested to allocate the resources wisely.

He said the government would put up a rehabilitation center in a region where there is no such center.

"In an area where there is a rehabilitation center but there is not enough space, the government will augment that rehabilitation center and enhance it, whether it’s national or local," Lina said

In an area where there is no rehabilitation center, Lina added, the national government would go into a joint venture operation with the private rehabilitation center.

CLARK ECONOMIC ZONE, Angeles City – Interior and Local Government Jose Lina, Jr. pledged last night to unmask soon the big-time drug lords and their protectors.

"It’s just a matter of time," said Lina as he emerged from a command conference on illegal drugs presided over by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the Clark Development Corp. building here Saturday night.

He said the various agencies mobilized by the President in the anti-drug war have identified these drug lords and their protectors and are now in the process of collecting and collating evidence against them.

"In prosecuting a case, you need proof beyond reasonable doubt," Lina added.

Lina said he is confident the systematic collection of evidence against the so-called big fish in the dangerous drugs trade and their protectors in government would soon produce the desired result.

He said there are 13 transnational syndicates and 175 local drug groups operating in the country and some of them have already been neutralized.

"The ones heading these drug groups, whether transnational or local, and their protectors, are already identified and evidence will be gathered to make sure that they are successfully prosecuted," he said.

He said the President has instructed the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and other law enforcement agencies to produce significant and strategic results within three months.

"The target is to produce strategic and significant results to the end that the people see and feel the impact of the campaign against illegal drugs in the various communities all over the country," LIna said.

He said their targets in the three-month campaign include one-third of the transnational groups, one-third of the local drug groups, one-third of the drug pushers and traffickers, and one-third of the barangays affected.

He added there would be a colloquium of policemen, judges and prosecutors on the third week of July so that there would be a speedy and impartial disposition of drug-related cases.

"If the cases are not resolved in a fast manner, the campaign will also be affected as the citizens might think there is nothing happening," he said.

He said the first seminar will be held in Manila to thresh out and remove the problem areas that block the speedy disposition of cases.

Lina also stressed that the cleansing of the ranks of law enforcement agencies has also produced results. He said several policemen have tested positive for drug use and some of them are already facing summary dismissal proceedings.

"Those who are directly involved in the violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, are also facing criminal cases," he said.

Philippine National Police Anti-Drug Task Force commander Deputy Director General Edgar Aglipay added that 93 PNP officers and men have been administratively charged in connection with illegal drugs cases and 18 are facing criminal charges. He said they are looking at one percent of the 114,000 population of the PNP as being involved in dangerous drugs.

"So tuloy-tuloy itong kampanyang ito at ang ating Pangulo ay talagang nakatutok dito (So this intensified campaign will be pursued and the President really wants to see accomplishments)," Lina said.

During the command conference, the President was given the latest update and informed of the problem areas in the ongoing campaign against illegal drugs.