
Congress to investigate successive entry of billions of pesos worth of drugs into PH
THE House Committee on Dangerous Drugs will conduct today, October 9, an in-depth investigation regarding the successive entry of illegal drugs worth billions of pesos into the country in the recent days and weeks.
It can be recalled that this October 4 only, personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) intercepted 323 kilos of shabu worth P2.2 billion, concealed in a shipment of beef jerky from Mexico.
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has already tasked Cong. Robert Ace Barbers, Chairman of Dangerous Drugs, to find out how and why drugs were able to enter the country one after the other and who are behind it.
According to Speaker Romualdez, “of course, we are grateful to our authorities na alisto sila at naharang itong droga bago pa kumalat sa labas”.
“Pero we want to find out sino ang nasa likod nitong bilyon-bilyong shipments ng droga sa bansa at hanapin ang kanilang mga protector,” added the Speaker of the House.
He said, “ang utos kasi ng pangulo walang sasantuhin kahit opisyal ng gobyerno ang involved o ang protektor. Pero ang mahalaga hangga’t maaari iwasan ang mga patayan.”
It was learned that last month alone, 538 kilos of shabu worth P3.6 billion were seized in a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga.
Before that, 200 kilos of shabu worth P1.2 billion were discovered inside an abandoned car in Mabalacat, Pampanga.
It was then that House Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., from Pampanga, requested for an immediate investigation on the matter.
He said, “kailangan matuldukan ito agad baka kasi isipin kami dito sa Pampanga ang bagsakan ng droga sa bansa”.
According to Speaker Romualdez “the war on drugs of the Marcos Administration is centered on confiscation and seizure of drugs bago pa ito maibenta sa mga tao at hulihin ang mga big fish”.
“Naiinip na ang mga tao at gusto nil ana pangalanan na ang mga nasa likod nito o yung mga tinatawag na malalaking isda,” added Romualdez.
Data from PDEA revealed that the illegal drugs confiscated by the agency since President Marcos took office until now, have reached to more than P22 billion.