PASAY CITY—Senate President Vicente Sotto III is sounding the alarm over a "broken" legal pipeline after revealing that over 4,000 drug cases were dismissed between 2022 and 2025. 

Despite law enforcement seizing an estimated P100 billion worth of illegal substances, technicalities in the current law have led to a surge in acquittals. 

Sotto argues that the Philippines’ unique and rigid "chain of custody" rules are hamstringing prosecutors, allowing major offenders to walk free due to minor procedural gaps.

To fix this, Sotto is pushing for a major overhaul of Republic Act 9165, specifically aiming to modernize how evidence is handled. 

His proposal includes amending Section 21 to allow the use of body-worn cameras or testimony from ordinary citizens as valid witnesses, moving away from the strict, often difficult-to-fulfill witness requirements currently in place. 

By simplifying these rules, the Senate leader believes the government can maintain due process while ensuring that multi-billion peso busts actually lead to convictions.

“The scale of justice must be balanced. Enforcement and prosecution must be matched with due process to protect citizens from abuse of authority. It is time for a holistic reform in the whole-of-government approach to eradicate illegal drugs and drug abuse,” the Senate President said.

Beyond legal tweaks, Sotto is calling for the creation of the Presidential Drug Enforcement Authority (PRDEA) to unify the country’s scattered anti-drug efforts. 

He emphasized that the current strategy is too focused on enforcement while neglecting prevention in schools and rehabilitation for users. 

Under the proposed PRDEA, all four pillars of the anti-drug campaign—prevention, enforcement, prosecution, and rehabilitation—would be managed under one roof to create a more balanced and "holistic" approach to the crisis.