DAVAO CITY (February 18) — In just 48 hours, anti-drug operatives in the Davao Region seized more than PHP6.5 million worth of illegal drugs — a haul authorities describe as proof of intensified enforcement. But the volume of confiscated shabu also raises a harder question: how much is still slipping through?
From Feb. 16 to 17, joint operations by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) led to multiple arrests and sizeable seizures across the region.
The biggest catch came in Barangay Canocotan, Tagum City, where agents from Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency – Regional Office 11 (PDEA-11), working with local police, arrested a 34-year-old high-value target known as “Mata” during a morning buy-bust operation.
Authorities said the suspect sold 2.5 grams of suspected shabu worth PHP17,500 to an undercover agent. A follow-up search allegedly uncovered 612.5 more grams, valued at over PHP4.2 million — bringing the total seizure in that single operation to roughly PHP4.3 million.
He now faces charges under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
A steady supply?
Meanwhile, separate operations under Police Regional Office 11 (PRO-11) netted 326.9 grams of shabu and four grams of marijuana worth about PHP2.2 million in the same two-day window.
Combined, the seizures exceeded PHP6.5 million.
For Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete, PRO-11 director, the results reflect “hard work on the ground” and strong community support. In a Facebook post, he reiterated the regional police’s commitment to delivering service that is “fast, honest and felt by the people.”
But for online observers and residents, the figures cut both ways.
On one hand, they signal active enforcement. On the other, they suggest that large volumes of illegal drugs continue to circulate in communities long branded as models of tough anti-crime governance.
Davao Region has often been cited as a stronghold of disciplined policing. Yet repeated million-peso seizures point to an entrenched market — one resilient enough to replenish supply despite years of sustained operations.
Beyond drugs
The crackdown also extended to other offenses.
Police arrested eight individuals in anti-illegal gambling operations, confiscating PHP1,485 in bet money. Campaigns against loose firearms resulted in one arrest and the seizure or surrender of nine firearms. Five wanted persons were also taken into custody.
These numbers reinforce a message of visibility and enforcement. But critics of enforcement-heavy approaches argue that arrests alone do not dismantle networks — especially if supply chains remain intact and rehabilitation services lag behind.
The bigger picture
As authorities tally another multi-million peso haul, communities are left balancing two realities: the reassurance that law enforcement is active, and the unsettling scale of what continues to be seized.
Every confiscated gram represents a transaction that nearly happened — or did. Every “high-value target” arrested raises questions about who moves next in the chain.
The PHP6.5 million worth of drugs taken off the streets in two days is, undeniably, significant. Whether it signals lasting disruption — or simply another cycle in a persistent trade — remains the larger story unfolding in the Davao Region.
