J&T Express & PDEA partnership reinforces “Drug-Free Philippines” campaign

Specialized training ensures deliveries are safe and compliant with the law

PHOTO: PDEA equipped J&T Express employees with safety and security guidelines for packages to strengthen contraband monitoring and law compliance.

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In line with the goal of a safe and drug-free Philippines, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) recently held trainings on basic illegal drug detection within packages with courier service J&T Express Philippines as part of the latter’s commitment to safeguarding customers from transactions involving contraband while ensuring compliance with the law.

J&T Express employees from Cagayan de Oro, Davao City, Laguna, Batangas, Cebu and Nueva Ecija, Bulacan and Pampanga participated in the trainings which involved procedures in contraband and user identification, delivery safety protocols, and the over-all process in reporting suspected illegal activities to the PDEA to deter criminal activity.

As of March 2021, PDEA has seized a total of Php57.81B worth of drugs, laboratory equipment, and controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECs) from various operations since 2016.

To strengthen the national anti-drug campaign towards a safer Philippines, PDEA called on the cooperation of the private sector and concerned businesses to help in reducing the supply, demand, and harmful effects of drugs in accordance with Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The PDEA trainings are part of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed in December last year between the national agency and delivery service giant as a response to the huge increase in e-commerce opportunities and fast expansion of J&T’s nationwide reach and offered services.

With the continuing lockdown, demand for logistics solutions surged, prompting safer practices to be implemented. In 2020 alone, the Department of Trade and Industry has recorded the registration of over 75,000 online businesses which translates to a larger demand for delivery services, as well as greater accountability in monitoring deliveries by ensuring that no illegal drugs are involved to secure the safety of customers. Prior to these trainings, J&T Express had already established its own customer protection guidelines and package safety protocols such as open checking, declaration of item value, indication of package descriptions, and the addition of sanitizing and limiting physical contact as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic. These standard operating procedures, which are posted as reminders in J&T’s 600 branches and online, enable more efficient transactions aided by service platforms on the company’s website, mobile app, hotline, and social media.