THE claim of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) that the Philippines ranks fifth among the circle of countries that either produce or use cocaine, crack, heroin and other illegal drugs apart from shabu is baseless, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
PDEA Director General Dionisio Santiago said that the UNODC report was based on law enforcement accomplishments, which are supposedly positive indicators, and not on actual inventory of production.
The UNODC report revealed that nine clandestine laboratories and 13 chemical warehouses were dismantled in 2007 by authorities, thus indicating a rise in figures that replicated the 2003 and 2004 statistics on clandestine laboratories and chemical warehouses busted by authorities in the Philippines.
“Those accomplishments happened during the time when our manpower was at an all-time low with only 105 organic personnel,” Santiago said.
The 5-year transition period ended on July 5, 2007. Police officers and personnel who were on detailed service from the Philippine National Police along with those from other law enforcement agencies were returned to their respective mother units.
“This paved the way for the emergence of the real PDEA. We were able to prove that much can be achieved despite limited manpower and resources,” said Santiago.
He said that the rest of the world patronized cocaine and heroin, which is rare in the Philippines, because of its high price.
By simple analogy, Santiago said, the Philippines cannot be counted among countries that either produce or use illegal drugs other than shabu, which is virtually unknown in Europe, Latin America, North and South Africa and all other countries outside the Asia-Pacific Region.
He said that shabu production and abuse are endemic only in East and Southeast Asia, Oceania (Australia, New Zealand) and Canada.
He said the clandestine shabu laboratories and chemical warehouses that were busted in the Philippines were the handiwork of international drug syndicates.
He said the jobs of the Filipinos who were arrested during drug law enforcement operations in these illegal facilities were menial.
Santiago pointed out that the Agency’s operational thrusts and strategies are focused on high-value international and local targets. “These personalities are wanted worldwide by different law enforcement counterparts and through our collaborative efforts, we were able arrest them here in the Philippines.”
Based on current reports, law enforcement authorities have dismantled six clandestine shabu laboratories and two chemical warehouses, and arrested two master chemists, among other internationally wanted targets.
He clarified that the production and consumption of (methamphetamine hydrochloride) shabu is prevalent only in specific countries and not in all countries of the world.
This fact that was also cited in the report has rendered inaccurate the Philippines’ ranking as 5th worldwide in terms of shabu production. –Sammy Martin, Manila Times
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