Why It Is Time to Remember ADORE
*Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD, DM
One quiet evening, long after everyone had gone to sleep, I found myself sitting alone in front of my desk. Around me were books on public administration, intelligence, engineering, criminology, law, education, sociology, and governance. Sheets of paper were scattered everywhere, filled with handwritten notes, flowcharts, arrows, and ideas that refused to leave my mind. Outside, the world was silent. But inside my head, one question echoed over and over again.
Why does the illegal drug problem continue to return?
For decades, every administration had intensified its campaign against illegal drugs. Thousands of operations had been conducted. Drug syndicates had been dismantled. Tons of illegal drugs had been confiscated. Yet after every successful operation, another syndicate emerged. Another community became vulnerable. Another family was broken. It seemed as if we were winning battles but never truly winning the war.
That night, I realized something that forever changed my perspective.
The illegal drug problem is not simply a law enforcement problem.
It is a systemic national problem.
It is rooted in poverty, broken families, lack of education, unemployment, weak community participation, ineffective legislation, insufficient rehabilitation, and the absence of a unified strategy that connects all sectors of government. As long as we treated illegal drugs as merely a police problem, the cycle would continue.
I asked myself, “What if we stop treating anti-illegal drug operations as merely police work? What if we build a complete national system where every institution becomes part of the solution?”
That single question became the beginning of a journey.
For months, I studied existing anti-drug strategies in the Philippines and abroad. I reviewed police operational doctrines, intelligence methodologies, engineering principles, governance models, educational systems, economic reintegration programs, and rehabilitation frameworks. Gradually, scattered ideas began connecting into one comprehensive design.
It was during this process that I conceptualized and authored ADORE—Anti-Illegal Drug Operation Through Reinforcement and Education.
I did not envision ADORE as another campaign that would last only during one administration. I envisioned it as a national framework that could evolve continuously regardless of changes in political leadership.
My belief was simple.
Programs should never depend on personalities.
They should depend on systems.
That is precisely why I designed ADORE around what I called the 8 E’s of Engineering, because engineering is fundamentally about designing systems that solve complex problems efficiently and sustainably.
The first E is Engineering itself.
Every successful program begins with proper planning, systems design, organizational structure, coordination, resource allocation, and operational architecture. Before launching operations, government must first engineer the entire ecosystem that supports those operations.
The second E is Education.
Education is perhaps the most powerful long-term weapon against illegal drugs. A child who understands the dangers of addiction, values discipline, and grows up in a supportive environment is less likely to become involved in illegal drugs. Parents, teachers, religious leaders, media practitioners, and community organizations all become educators in this fight. Prevention always costs less than rehabilitation.
The third E is Extraction of Information.
Effective law enforcement begins with intelligence, not assumptions. Drug syndicates are adaptive. They evolve quickly. Therefore, intelligence gathering, information sharing, data analysis, community reporting, and lawful surveillance become indispensable components of an effective anti-drug strategy. Every successful operation should be driven by verified information rather than random enforcement.
The fourth E is Enforcement.
Police operations remain essential. The government must continue arresting drug traffickers, dismantling laboratories, confiscating illegal substances, and prosecuting offenders within the bounds of the Constitution and the rule of law. Enforcement protects communities. But enforcement alone cannot permanently eliminate illegal drugs.
The fifth E is Enactment of Laws.
Operational experience often reveals weaknesses in existing legislation. Laws must evolve together with emerging criminal methods. Legislators, legal experts, prosecutors, and law enforcement agencies should continuously work together to improve policies that strengthen the country’s anti-drug framework while safeguarding human rights and due process.
The sixth E is Environment.
A recovering individual cannot successfully rebuild his or her life if the surrounding environment continues to encourage addiction. Communities must become safe spaces for recovery. Families must become stronger. Schools must become protective institutions. Local government units must actively participate. Churches, civic organizations, youth groups, and the private sector all become partners in creating an environment where rehabilitation becomes sustainable rather than temporary.
The seventh E is Economics.
One reality cannot be ignored.
Many individuals return to illegal drugs because they return to poverty.
Without livelihood, employment, entrepreneurship, vocational training, and economic opportunities, rehabilitation becomes incomplete. Society cannot simply tell recovering individuals to change their lives while denying them opportunities to earn an honest living. Economic reintegration transforms former dependents into productive members of society.
Finally comes the eighth E—Evaluation.
Many government programs measure activities.
ADORE measures outcomes.
Every operation, every educational campaign, every rehabilitation effort, every legislative reform, every intelligence initiative, and every community intervention should be continuously evaluated using measurable indicators. Success should not simply be measured by the number of arrests but also by reduced drug dependency, stronger families, safer communities, lower crime rates, higher employment among recovering individuals, and improved public trust.
But ADORE does not end with Evaluation.
Evaluation returns to Engineering.
The lessons learned become the foundation for designing a stronger system. The improved system produces better education, more effective intelligence gathering, more focused enforcement, better legislation, healthier communities, stronger economic reintegration, and another cycle of evaluation.
This is why I called it the Infinity Cycle of ADORE.
The campaign never becomes stagnant.
It continuously learns.
It continuously adapts.
It continuously improves.
Perhaps this is the greatest distinction between ADORE and many traditional government programs.
Many programs operate in a straight line.
ADORE operates in a continuous circle of innovation.
When ADORE was officially launched on May 14, 2022, by then Philippine National Police Chief Police General Dionardo Bernardo Carlos, I felt a deep sense of fulfillment. It was gratifying to see an idea that had begun as sketches on paper become part of the Philippine National Police’s institutional approach to combating illegal drugs.
Equally encouraging was the support shown by Police Lieutenant General Vicente D. Danao Jr., then Regional Director of the National Capital Region Police Office. NCRPO embraced the program during its early implementation, demonstrating that a more holistic approach to anti-drug operations could complement traditional law enforcement.
Looking back today, I sometimes wonder what might have happened if ADORE had continued to evolve nationwide.
How many young Filipinos could have been prevented from entering the world of illegal drugs?
How many surrendered drug users could have rebuilt their lives through education and employment?
How many communities could have become stronger through active citizen participation?
How many crimes could have been prevented before they even occurred?
These questions may never be answered with certainty.
But they remain worth asking.
Today, the Philippines continues to confront the challenges posed by illegal drugs. While enforcement remains indispensable, experience has shown that sustainable success requires something more comprehensive.
It requires a system.
As the author of ADORE, I remain convinced that the philosophy behind the program is as relevant today as when it was first conceptualized. Governments may change. Leaders may come and go. Policies may evolve. But the principles of systems thinking, community participation, education, intelligence, rehabilitation, economic reintegration, and continuous improvement remain timeless.
The fight against illegal drugs should never be viewed as the responsibility of the police alone.
It is the responsibility of every Filipino.
Perhaps ADORE was ahead of its time.
Perhaps it simply arrived before the country was fully ready to embrace a systems-based approach.
Or perhaps history is simply giving us another opportunity to revisit an idea whose time has finally come.
If we truly desire a safer Philippines—not only for ourselves but for future generations—we must move beyond isolated solutions and embrace integrated strategies that address both the symptoms and the root causes of the problem.
That was the vision behind ADORE when I first conceptualized and authored it.
It remains my vision today.
And I continue to hope that one day, ADORE will no longer be remembered as the forgotten program, but as the beginning of a more intelligent, more humane, and more sustainable approach to winning the fight against illegal drugs in the Philippines.
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*About the author:
Dr. Rodolfo “John” Ortiz Teope is a distinguished Filipino academic, public intellectual, and advocate for civic education and public safety, whose work spans local academies and international security circles. With a career rooted in teaching, research, policy, and public engagement, he bridges theory and practice by making meaningful contributions to academic discourse, civic education, and public policy. Dr. Teope is widely respected for his critical scholarship in education, management, economics, doctrine development, and public safety; his grassroots involvement in government and non-government organizations; his influential media presence promoting democratic values and civic consciousness; and his ethical leadership grounded in Filipino nationalism and public service. As a true public intellectual, he exemplifies how research, advocacy, governance, and education can work together in pursuit of the nation’s moral and civic mission.
