Author of the ADORE Program and the 8 E’s Framework on Anti-Illegal Drug Strategy
I was once inside a barangay multipurpose hall in Barangay
Fortune, Marikina City, speaking to a room full of former drug dependents and
their families from the nearby areas of Marikina City, Antipolo City, and San Mateo,
Rizal. They weren’t perfect. Many of them bore the stigma of their past, the
judgment of society, and the uncertainty of tomorrow. But they were trying.
They were hoping. They were choosing to rebuild their lives—not with bullets,
not with fear, but with help, healing, and honest work.
That moment made me think deeply about where our
nation is heading in our long-standing war on drugs.
Just recently, Senator Tito Sotto floated the idea of
abolishing the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as well as the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) to create a new
“Presidential Drug Enforcement Authority.” Although the proposal appears to be a reform on paper, it feels more like a drastic move that could cause more harm than good.
And so, I ask: Do we need to abolish PDEA? Or do we
need to make it work better, smarter, and more humanely?
Reform, Not Ruin
Let me be candid—PDEA is not perfect. It has its fair
share of internal lapses, inefficiencies, and corruption cases. But what
government institution doesn’t?
Abolishing PDEA won’t magically solve these problems.
It will, however, destabilize the current structure, erase institutional
memory, and scatter the already limited manpower, logistics, and intelligence
framework across another yet-to-be-established bureaucracy. The process will take
years. During those years, our communities, particularly the poorest, will bear the brunt of an unrelenting drug network.
What we need isn’t demolition. What we need is
strategic reinvention, people-centered reform, and an intelligent,
systems-based approach.
That is precisely why I developed the ADORE
Program in 2022, which was launched by then PNP Chief General Dionardo Carlos on March 14, 2022, in the direction of creating a national inter-agency task force—Anti-Illegal Drug Operations Through Reinforcement and
Education—grounded on the 8 E’s Framework I authored. ADORE is more than just a
program. It represents a philosophy rooted in a profound social ideology. A paradigm shift. A bridge between law enforcement
and community empowerment.
The 8 E’s Framework: A Systematic Solution
The ADORE Program isn’t about slogans or slogans disguised as action. It is built on eight interlinked stages, each beginning with the letter “E”—designed to guide our anti-drug operations from reactive enforcement to proactive prevention and sustainable rehabilitation. In the 2024 State of the Nation Address of President Bongbong, the 8E's as a framework were mentioned in his speech as the focal point for addressing illegal drugs in the country.
1. Engineering – First, we need to re-engineer the way
we think about the drug problem. Understand the roots. Assess the systems.
Design smarter interventions.
2. Education – Awareness is the first line of defense.
We must integrate drug prevention education in schools, barangays, and even in
families.
3. Extraction of Information – Intelligence gathering
must be systematic, grounded in trust between law enforcers and the communities
they serve.
4. Enforcement of Laws – Enforcement must be firm but
fair. It must uphold human rights and ensure transparency and accountability.
5. Enactment of Laws – The laws must evolve with the
times. Legislation should be responsive, inclusive, and community-informed.
6. Environment – Rehabilitating not just people, but
also their communities—physically, emotionally, and socially.
7. Economics – Addressing poverty is a core anti-drug
strategy. We must provide jobs, livelihoods, and economic alternatives to those
drawn into the drug trade out of desperation.
8. Evaluation – Everything must be monitored and
measured. Data must drive policy and practice. Success must be defined not by
arrests, but by changed lives.
This framework creates an ecosystem of healing,
security, education, and empowerment.
Why Abolishing PDEA is a Misstep
Despite the good intentions and footnotes behind Senator Sotto's proposal to scrap PDEA, it runs the risk of worsening the problem. What
happens to the trained agents? Do the intelligence databases remain intact? What happens to the community partnerships that have been established over time?
PDEA, as an institution, already possesses the
operational backbone needed for an effective national anti-drug campaign. What
it lacks is proper direction, reform, and system-based thinking—something that
the 8 E’s Framework of ADORE offers.
If the house is leaking, do you burn it down? Or do
you find the leak and fix it with stronger materials and better planning?
The Moral Soul of ADORE: Human Rights
ADORE stands firm on one non-negotiable principle: the
sanctity of human life and dignity.
The drug war has claimed too many lives. Some were
criminals. But many were merely suspects, some were victims of mistaken
identity, and others were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
My approach through ADORE is different. I believe that
rehabilitation, reintegration, and redemption are not weaknesses—they are
strengths. Human rights are not obstacles to law enforcement—they are its
compass.
Let us be clear: the enemy is not the addict. The
enemy is the system that lets addiction thrive, the poverty that makes drug
pushing a career option, and the corruption that allows drug syndicates to
operate with impunity.
Eliminate the Misfits, Not the Mission
Another critical element of ADORE is my strong
advocacy to remove misfits in uniform. If officers who sell protection, plant evidence, or kill for convenience infiltrate our ranks, we cannot win the war on drugs.
Reform must begin from within. PDEA, PNP, and all
allied agencies must undergo moral and operational cleansing. With ADORE’s
Evaluation and Engineering components, we have the tools to build a culture of
integrity.
A Presidential Inter-Agency Task Force Based on ADORE
Rather than replace PDEA, I propose the creation of a
Presidential Inter-Agency Task Force on Anti-Illegal Drugs, anchored on the
ADORE Framework. This task force would bring together PDEA, PNP, NBI, NICA, PCG, AFP, DOH, DepEd,
DILG, DSWD, TESDA, DTI, other government agencies, and local government units to work synergistically toward a common goal.
By uniting under one coherent system—the 8 E’s—we
avoid redundancy and eliminate turf wars and jurisdictional conflicts and ensure that every peso spent yields
measurable, lasting results.
What the People Truly Need
Filipinos don’t need a new name or agency to give them
hope. What they need is honest leadership, strategic action, and visible,
sustainable results. They need to see drug users rehabilitated, families
reunited, and barangays transformed into safe, nurturing spaces.
They want programs that work, not press releases that
fade.
Through ADORE, we give our people a way out—not just a
way in to jail cells or, worse, funeral parlors.
ADORE Is More Than a Framework—It Is a Commitment
As the author of the ADORE Program and its 8 E’s
Framework, I offer it not as a miracle cure, but as a tested, people-centered
strategy grounded in my experience in research, public service, education, and
law enforcement.
This isn’t just a proposal. It’s a lifelong commitment
to national transformation. And I share this not from a desk in a corporate
boardroom, but from years of working with police officers, barangay leaders,
youth organizations, public schools, and victims of this long-standing social
illness.
In Conclusion: Let’s Build, Not Burn
Let’s not confuse change with chaos. Let’s not tear
down what can be repaired and improved. Instead of treating the war on drugs as a political game, we should approach it as the humanitarian crisis it truly is.
The answer is not in abolishing institutions but in
reinventing them from within—with heart, with system, and with soul.
Let us not destroy the house of PDEA. Let us renovate
it—with the blueprint of ADORE and the engineering of the 8 E’s.
Only then can we say we fought the war the right
way—and won not just battles, but lives back.
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
