DRUGS, CHEMICALS ENTER RP WITH EASE, SAYS SOLON

CHEMICALS used in the manufacture of amphetamine-type stimulants like shabu
(methamphetamine hydrochloride) continue to enter the country with ease,
according to an administration congressman.

Cebu Representative Antonio Cuenco told reporters he himself witnessed how
easy it was for importers to bring in shabu precursor chemicals despite the
"tight" watch of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on the
country's major seaports and airports. He said the situation appeared to
have been going on for quite some time.

Cuenco, who chairs the congressional oversight committee on dangerous
drugs, talked to reporters after meeting with Interior and Local Government
Secretary and Dangerous Drugs Board officer in charge Jose Lina, DDB
undersecretary and executive director Jose Calida, and PDEA compliance
service unit chief Superintendent Primo Golingay on Friday at the DDB main
office.

Cuenco said he was with members of the Philippine National Police when they
intercepted a "substantial shipment" of toluene, a chemical used in the
manufacture of shabu, which was brought in last month through the Port of
Cebu without undergoing scrutiny by the Bureau of Customs and the PDEA.

Misdeclared volume

The toluene shipment which was imported by Luzon Rattan Industries and the
D and D Enterprises from Australia was about to be released to its
consignees when it was apprehended, Cuenco said.

He said that based on the importation documents, the volume of toluene in
the shipment should not have exceeded 12 percent but closer inspection
showed the volume ranged from 50 to 75 percent, a clear case of misdeclaration.

Cuenco said the shipment was waved through by the BOC and the PDEA
compliance service unit without a thorough inspection, adding that "the
PDEA practically relied on the face value of the importation papers."

As a consequence of the incident, Cuenco said he would ask Congress to
strengthen the DDB. He said the DDB must be empowered to inspect chemicals
entering the country to prevent the smuggling of materials that could be
used in the manufacture of shabu, commonly known as "ice" or "crack."

Toluene is also used in the manufacture of paint, adhesives like rugby, and
paper products.

Calida, for his part, said that under the provisions of Republic Act No.
9165 (the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002), the importation of
toluene is regulated. He said that for a shipment of more than 30 percent
toluene volume, a DDB permit is required.

Golingay declined to comment on the matter.

Expansion, transshipment

Calida also said international drug traffickers have expanded their
operations in the Philippines and have made the country a transshipment
point for their contraband.

In a report he presented at a recent forum against illegal drugs in
Bangkok, Thailand, Calida said the "Philippines regrettably has become one
of the main targets for expansion."

He attributed this to the increase in production of illegal drugs in Asia,
particularly in Myanmar, China and India, compounded by the ease with which
syndicated crime groups can travel throughout the region as a consequence
of globalization.

He said these developments "have resulted in increased pressure (on drug
traffickers) to look for new markets."

He said shabu was now being smuggled into the country through four major
avenues -- the seaports, the international airports, the mail and parcel
services, and the vast Philippine coastline, specifically in the provinces
of Batanes, Cagayan, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Zambales, Aurora, Quezon,
Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Masbate, Sorsogon, South
Cotabato, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.