METRO COPS TO FOCUS ON DRUGS

After President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo delivers her State of the Nation
address on July 26, police in Metro Manila will likely focus on drugs and
tourist protection, said Metro Manila police chief Ricardo de Leon.

"Our likely headache after the Sona will be drugs, though street crimes
have gone down," De Leon said in a radio interview.

He added that the political tension involving the electoral protest of
Fernando Poe Jr. has cooled down somewhat, along with the abduction of
truck driver Angelo de la Cruz.

With these developments, he said militant groups are no longer likely to
hold almost-daily protest actions, especially for De la Cruz.

Militant groups had held protest actions in Manila and Quezon City in past
weeks for De la Cruz, calling on government to withdraw its humanitarian
troops from Iraq.

"The situation has already cooled down, so we focused on tourists. But
because of the Sona, we had to pull out some of our tourist police to deal
with protesters. After that, they will go back to guarding tourist spots,"
De Leon said.

The drug problem became apparent again after the Western Police District
discovered a methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) warehouse-cum-laboratory
in Manila last July 17.

WPD spokesperson Chief Insp. Gerry Agunod said the warehouse may be used by
the same group behind a shabu laboratory police found in Valenzuela City
last weekend.