PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday brought the government's
anti-drug campaign to the village level even as she issued a strong warning
to military and police officials and politicians who continue to coddle
illegal drug pushers and undermine the anti-drug campaign.

"Our war against drugs will spare no one, all those involved will have to
pay for their crimes," she said, saying police officers found giving
protection to drug pushers and users will be immediately booted out of the
service.

"No compromises, no favors," she warned.

Speaking at the launch of the Barangay Anti-Drug Committee (BADAC), the
President said the government's all-out war on illegal drugs, which began
with the dismantling of drug syndicates and their laboratories three
months, ago was in its second phase that involved ridding "every corner" of
the country's "barangay" [villages and neighborhood districts] of the drug
menace.

More than 10,000 barangay officials attended the BADAC congress.

"We can only declare that the war against drugs has been won if all
barangay in the country have been declared drug-free," she said.

She exhorted all barangay officials to help the authorities in monitoring
illegal drug operations in their areas by reporting suspected
methamphetamine hydrochoride -- popularly known as "shabu" or "crack" --
laboratories and the activities of suspected drug dealers, pushers and users.

The President said the government hoped to use the BADAC with its broad
membership, including church and school representatives, to step up the
information campaign on the effects of illegal drugs.

Some of the local government officials present noted that the public's lack
of awareness regarding the dangers of illegal drugs has been one of the
stumbling blocks to the anti-drug campaign.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina said illegal drugs had
become an industry worth 216 billion to 432 billion pesos, which would take
a determined effort by government to be crushed.

He said the intensified anti-drug campaign started on June 19 had resulted
in the arrest of 12,619 individuals, including 150 big-time drug traders,
from an initial target of 7,000 as of Sept. 18.

"Of these figure, 4,798 were considered drug pushers while the rest mere
possessors," Lina said.

Lina, who also chairs the Dangerous Drug Board, noted that the campaign led
to the dismantling of 11 clandestine laboratories and chemical warehouses
containing shabu and chemicals for its manufacture. He added that 42
marijuana plantations were destroyed and 1,709 barangay were cleared of
illegal drug problems.

A 1999 survey showed there were at least 1.8 million regular drug users in
the Philippines consuming an average of five to 10 grams of shabu a month.
A gram of shabu costs about 2,000 pesos.

"So if one consumes five grams a month that would cost the user 10,000
pesos a month or 120,000 pesos a year and multiply that figure by 1.8
million users and you will arrive at a conservative amount of 216 billion
pesos," Lina said.

About 13 transnational drug rings and 175 local drug syndicates operate in
the Philippines where there are some 45,000 drug-pushers in the streets.