The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) have formalized a renewed strategic partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on February 26, 2026, aimed at intensifying efforts against the smuggling, importation, exportation, and transshipment of dangerous drugs, controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECs), and related paraphernalia.
The agreement builds on the inter-agency coordination framework established in 2023 and incorporates key policy directives and operational inputs from PDEA following a joint meeting in August last year. It introduces strengthened safeguard provisions to ensure clearly defined responsibilities, seamless coordination, and robust implementation of each agency’s mandate.
Under the MOA, both agencies will enhance digital and operational collaboration through integrated databases, real-time information-sharing mechanisms, and reinforced scanning and inspection technologies at ports of entry. Regular coordination meetings and special operational briefings will also be institutionalized to enable swift interdiction of illegal drugs, streamline enforcement procedures, and eliminate operational gaps.
A key feature of the agreement is the creation of the Drug Interdiction Task Group, which will serve as the primary coordinating body for joint port operations and intelligence-driven enforcement actions across major gateways.
Customs Commissioner Nepomuceno said the MOA institutionalizes closer coordination between the BOC and PDEA, affirming the Bureau’s frontline role in border control in support of PDEA’s lead anti-illegal drug enforcement efforts under Director General Usec. Isagani Nerez.
For his part, Nerez expressed gratitude to the BOC, noting that the agreement not only symbolizes strengthened interagency solidarity but also advances their shared goal of reinforcing border controls and ensuring a more synchronized and decisive suppression of illegal drug trafficking networks.
Since assuming office in July, Commissioner Nepomuceno has led intensified anti-drug operations that resulted in the seizure of approximately ₱2.295 billion worth of dangerous drugs by the end of 2025, in close coordination with PDEA and other enforcement agencies. From January 1 to February 20, 2026 alone, the BOC confiscated an additional ₱689 million worth of illegal drugs, sustaining the momentum of its strengthened campaign against narcotics trafficking.
Present during the signing ceremony were Chief of Staff Assistant Secretary Carlos Bathan, Assistant Secretary Atty. Jek Casipit, Deputy Commissioner PBGen Nolasco Bathan (Ret.), Deputy Commissioner Atty. Arnel Alambra, and Deputy Commissioner Romeo Allan Rosales, underscoring the Bureau’s unified leadership support for the intensified anti-drug drive.
Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has consistently emphasized that strengthened interagency collaboration remains a key pillar of the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs — a directive both BOC and PDEA said they continue to uphold through concrete operational reforms and unified enforcement strategies.
The strengthened partnership under the MOA highlights a modernized, intelligence-driven, and coordinated enforcement framework aimed at protecting the public and fortifying the country’s borders.
