DILG to audit 1,700 anti-drug councils

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced Friday that 1,716 local Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (ADACs) will undergo a nationwide audit this year to gauge their effectiveness in the fight against illegal drugs.

The evaluation will cover councils in 82 provinces, 149 cities, and 1,485 municipalities, measuring their performance for 2024.

Eight key indicators will be reviewed: council reorganization, regularity of meetings, budget utilization, support for barangay committees, oversight and management, barangay drug-clearing initiatives, access to rehabilitation and reintegration programs, and accountability systems.

Audit teams will be composed of representatives from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Dangerous Drugs Board, and accredited civil society groups. The process will be fully digitized through the ADAC Functionality Monitoring System, which requires LGUs to upload supporting documents and allows them to access results online.

Councils will be graded on a 100-point scale: High Performing (70–100), Moderate (51–69), and Low (below 50). Poor performers may receive technical assistance or sanctions if they fail twice, while top performers scoring at least 80 will be recognized nationally.

The DILG said the initiative reinforces President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s community-based, rights-centered approach to the drug problem while promoting transparency through digital monitoring.

Meanwhile, starting September 11, Filipinos in need of urgent help will only have to dial 911.

The new national emergency hotline replaces more than 30 separate local numbers, linking the PNP, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, local governments, and other responders into a single network.

The service will be available 24/7 in Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Waray, Tausug, and other Philippine dialects, with a target response time of just five minutes.