THAT OTHER WAR

THE Journal Group of Publications was at the forefront of the war against
illegal drugs last year.

Journal newspapers even had a texting campaign against neighborhood pushers.

The campaign was a success as anti-narcotics cops swooped down on known drug
dens and distribution points.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anselmo Avenido heaped
praises on our efforts as the Journal Group established an online reference
system that electronically forwarded volunteered information to the PDEA
headquarters.

And so with all eyes and ears on Angelo de la Cruz, who was released
yesterday by Islamic militants in conflict-torn Iraq, we shift our attention
to the lingering menace of illegal drugs and the host of problems it spawns
- - violent crimes, family breakups, wrecked careers, even deaths of pushers
and addicts - anti-narc cops.

The constant and ever-growing threat of "narco-terrorism" was driven home
with the "execution" of a crusading anti-dope cop in Tondo, Manila.

Like De la Cruz, who was just trying to eke out a living in the desert
hauling oil tankers, SPO3 Eduardo Chiapoco of the District Tactical
Operations Center was just trying to do his job - keep the neighborhood safe
from drug fiends, who naturally got upset.

Unlike De la Cruz, however, Chiapoco did not hog the headlines, did not
generate national sympathy, did not outrage top officialdom or civil
society.

And yet like De la Cruz, Chiapoco was a hero.

He was shot at close range by an unidentified gunman backed by another armed
companion who served as lookout at the corner of Osmena and Pacheco Streets
shortly before 10 a.m. Sunday.

The motive for the killing remains unclear although earlier reports said he
has been at odds with some neighborhood pushers after the police officer
warned them to stop their illicit trade under pain of arrest.

Reports of Chiapoco's killing coincided with a wire report saying the
country is one of the world's largest producers of "shabu" or
methamphetamine hydrochloride.

According to a World Drug Report commissioned by the UN Office on Drugs and
Crime, Burma (Myanmar), China, and the Philippines are the main sources of
"shabu."

It said most of Burma's supplies go to Thailand, which has the largest
percentage of "shabu" users in the world.

"Shabu" produced locally reaches as far as Australia and the United States,
the report said.

"The main source countries for North America are the (US) and Mexico, and to
a lesser extent, the Philippines. The main sources for methamphetamine found
in Australia were identified as China, and to a lesser extent, Thailand and
the Philippines," it added.

The report said Filipinos were the fourth largest users of "shabu," although
local consumption had gone down.

Chiapoco's execution and the UN report are stark reminders that we should
not keep our guard down in the tremendous fight against this "clear and
present danger."