Formally concluding the 2027 PADS Program Convergence Budget Harmonization Workshop, DDB Chairperson – Secretary Oscar Valenzuela shifted the emphasis from preparation to performance, underscoring that the true measure of convergence lies in execution.
He stressed that while plans, forms, and submissions are necessary, success will ultimately be defined by results on the ground—safer and healthier communities, strengthened Anti-Drug Abuse Councils, sustained recovery of persons who use drugs, and empowered local governments. Convergence, he emphasized, must be operational and reflected in coordinated implementation, disciplined timelines, and measurable outcomes.
Secretary Valenzuela highlighted that Enhanced PADS embodies the government’s decisive shift toward a balanced, rights-based, and health-centered approach—integrating prevention, community-based rehabilitation, restorative justice, reintegration, and sustained enforcement. This direction, he noted, must not remain at the level of strategy but be evident in how agencies implement, monitor, and sustain their programs.
He called on implementing agencies to maintain collaboration beyond the workshop and to translate alignment into accountable action. The activity, he emphasized, should not end as a compliance, but serve as renewed momentum toward delivering meaningful impact under the national drug prevention and control agenda.
