The House Committee on Dangerous Drugs convened the 2nd Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting to continue discussions on several House Bills proposing amendments to Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) as a member of the TWG, joined the inter-agency discussions supporting the Committee’s legislative review. Deputy Executive Director for Operations – Assistant Secretary Ferdaussi Masnar, served as the Board’s resource representative, providing technical perspectives as lawmakers and stakeholders examined a wide range of proposed reforms which cover, among others, drug prevention and control strategies, the strengthening of local anti-drug councils, the rationalization of penalties for small-quantity possession, the establishment of special courts for drug cases, drug testing procedures, and the regionalization of enforcement functions. These proposals were discussed integrating a public health-centered and human rights-based approach in the campaign against illegal drugs.
Building on these exchanges, the TWG agreed on the need to align technical inputs and refine the proposed provisions across key reform areas. The discussion brought forward several policy and implementation considerations, including updating legal definitions to address online drug-related activities and emerging substances, strengthening diversion and community-based rehabilitation for low-level offenders, improving inter-agency data sharing, and ensuring clear procedural safeguards.
Taken together, these efforts reflect the government’s ongoing work toward a more responsive, evidence-based, and people-centered framework for drug policy reform, consistent with the Enhanced Philippine Anti-llegal Drugs Strategy (PADS) with three (3) important pillars namely: Drug Demand Reduction, Supply Reduction, and Health, Social, and Developmental Services.
