PDEA XI to burn seized illegal drugs at Davao City funeral home on Nov. 18
The regional anti-drug agency says the public destruction is meant to show that confiscated narcotics are actually destroyed, as it flags Tagum and Panabo as the region's top seizure areas.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Davao Region (PDEA XI) will publicly incinerate a large volume of confiscated illegal drugs in Davao City on Nov. 18, 2026, according to Mindanao Times.
PDEA XI regional director Benjamin Gaspi announced the plan on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the Davao Peace and Security Press Corps weekly media briefing held at The Royal Mandaya Hotel. He said the drugs will be destroyed at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes as part of activities marking Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week.
Gaspi said the public needs to see that drugs seized by PDEA XI and the Philippine National Police are really destroyed. He said several official witnesses will be present as the drugs are burned inside the facility in a process similar to human cremation.
At the same briefing, Gaspi gave an update on the drug situation in the region. He said Tagum City and Panabo City in Davao del Norte continue to record the highest volume of drug confiscations in the Davao Region.
He linked the concentration of supply in these cities to rapid urbanisation, greater purchasing power among consumers and the many coastal entry points in the area. By contrast, he said, provinces such as Davao Occidental record few seizures because of their smaller populations and lower economic mobility.
Gaspi said that although street-level pushers are often caught in buy-bust operations, most illegal drugs reaching Mindanao come from outside the region. "We have no operational shabu laboratories in the region," he said, adding that most supply comes from Marawi, Cotabato, Samar and Tawi-Tawi through Zamboanga.
He also said that some shipments intercepted in Tagum or Panabo are only passing through, with those cities often serving as transit routes for drugs bound for the Caraga Region or nearby provinces.
Why it matters for Davao
The public incineration is meant to assure Davao City residents that drugs seized by authorities are actually destroyed. PDEA XI's update also indicates that much of the drug supply reaching the region is brought in from outside the region, with nearby Davao del Norte cities serving as key transit points.
This article was written by the DavaoNews desk with AI assistance, using reporting by Mindanao Times. Facts come from the original report, which we credit and link below. Our editorial policy
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