FACING A SERIOUS GLOBAL WAR VS DRUGS

THE Philippines has been supportive from the outset of the special
global initiative to comprehensively combat the world drug problem
through the 20th Special Session of the United Nations General
Assembly on Drugs.

The goals and targets enunciated in the Political Declaration and
further elaborated in the five action plans on illicit crop
eradication and alternative development; illicit manufacture,
trafficking and abuse of amphetaminetype stimulants (ATS) and their
precursors; control of precursors; measures to promote judicial
cooperation and countering money laundering are clear.

The Philippine delegation thus wishes to commend these specific
efforts of the 42nd session of the Commission to effectively address
implementation and monitoring, on which all our noble intentions will
eventually be put to test.

Comment on guidelines

Allow me to comment on each of the suggested guidelines for reporting
implementation of the Political Declaration and five action plans
adopted by the 20th UNGASS as summarized in document
A/CN.7/1999/2:

1. On the reduction of illicit drug demand.

The Philippines considers the adoption by the 20th UNGASS of a
Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction as a
landmark toward permanently turning the tide against the world drug
problem, through the strengthening of the demand reduction component
vis-a-vis supply reduction measures. We express appreciation for the
work of the intergovernmental group in elaborating an action plan for
the implementation of the Declaration, in its two sessions held on
14-16 December 1998 and recently on 15 March 1999.

The Philippines, for its part, through its Department of Interior and
Local Government, has recently began the establishment of provincial,
city, municipal and barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils nationwide, a
joint effort of governmental and non-governmental organizations. This
is to complement the Comprehensive Community Information Development
Scheme now under consideration by the Philippine Government. The
Dangerous Drugs Board will also be launching this year its Complan
Mabuhay, a multi-media package project focusing on drug demand reduction.

2. On the illicit manufacture of, trafficking in and abuse of
amphetamine-type stimulants.

The number one drug of abuse in the Philippines these past seven years
has been Methamphetamine Hydrochloride, commonly known as shabu. It
has a 57 percent margin ahead of marijuana, which is still one of the
most abused drugs in the country. There is also a direct correlation
between the rise in heinous crimes in the Philippines and the abuse of
ATS. Being fully aware of the rationale behind this action plan, we
shall cooperate in complying with its reporting requirements. The
reports of the INCB (International Narcotics Control Board) should
indeed be taken into full account in the review and appraisal of our
respective implementation of the action plan.

3. On the control of precursors.

In view of difficulties in the monitoring of narcotics and ATS, the
Philippines anticipates more difficulties in the monitoring of
precursors, given their wide legal applications. We thus await with
great interest the checklist of actions to be prepared by the UNDCP in
close cooperation with the INCB, to assist in our efforts to meet the
goals and targets for 2008 relating to precursors.

The Philippines has also submitted to the UNDCP in mid-1998 a proposal
for a Chemical Precursors Monitoring Program that aims to regulate,
control and monitor through interagency cooperation, entry/exit points
and shipments of chemical precursors.

4. On countering money laundering.

The Philippines, as early as last year, has expressed its willingness
to avail of technical assistance under the Global Program against
Money Laundering. We have accomplished a money laundering
questionnaire for the assessment of the UNDCP. The Philippines has
long expressed readiness for a needs assessment mission by the UNDCP
and awaits action in this regard, especially in the light of the
obligations that have to be met under the 20th UNGASS.

5. On measures to promote judicial cooperation.

The Philippine delegation recognizes the value of judicial cooperation
as one of the pillars on combating the world drug problem and agrees
that current mechanisms already in place be further strengthened and
consolidated. We take special interest on the database being developed
jointly by the UNDCP, the Interpol (International Criminal Police
Organization) and the World Customs Organization, which may assist
Governments in assessing regional and international trends in drug
trafficking.

6. On the action plan for international cooperation on the eradication
of illicit drug crops and on alternative development.

The Philippines is fully appreciative of this action plan, in view of
its own problems regarding the unabated cultivation of cannabis
despite intensive eradication operations by law enforcers, especially
in mountainous terrain inaccessible to motorized land transport.
Moreover, there is a trend toward direct distribution from these areas
of cultivation to consumer countries, especially through our major and
minor air and seaports. The international aspect of the problem is
therefore a compelling issue for the Philippines.

The Dangerous Drugs Board of the Philippines and the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources has a plan on illegal crop
substitution which, however, has never been implemented. Nevertheless,
the Philippines has embarked on intermittent crop eradication
campaigns for several years.

We are, therefore, interested on how the proposed business plan and a
global monitoring system, i.e. rapid assessment techniques, aerial
surveys and satellite monitoring, would assist us in this regard. We
urge the Commission and the UNDCP to flesh out modalities to implement
the alternative development component of this action plan, especially
on monitoring the success of such an approach.

Close cooperation The Philippine has consistently been maintaining
bilateral cooperative relationships with ASEAN member countries and
others like Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, New
Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States, through their
respective embassies or agencies with narcotics control functions. We
also refer to our close cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement
Administration (US DEA) and Australian Federal Police based in Manila,
which has led to the neutralization of drug trafficking activities of
various drug syndicates.

Finally, the Philippine delegation believes that the issue of a macro
and piecemeal approach need not be exclusive of each other. Member
States can only be helped by an overall framework in which all the
action plans fit together, in the same way that the international
fight against drugs can only be helped by strong support and
commitment from individual Governments and peoples.