PDEA CHIEF: NO VIP TREATMENT FOR JAYLO

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has made it clear there
would be no VIP treatment for its new director, retired Col. Reynaldo
Jaylo, virtually saying the latter would not get what he wanted.

PDEA chief Director Anselmo Avenido Jr. stressed Jaylo, who reportedly
wants 60 PDEA personnel under him, will be a regular PDEA member and
will be assigned regular anti-drug personnel.

Jaylo, partner of former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, is the remaining
"ace" of the government's hyped "four" against drug syndicates.

"He'll be a regular personnel of PDEA, he'll be a law enforcer. Once
his presidential appointment comes out, he'll be assigned here and
we'll assign people to him to conduct anti-drug operations. He'll
command regular law enforcement officers detailed to PDEA," Avenido
said in a radio interview.

Meanwhile, authorities are "considering" the suggestion to lace
confiscated methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu with poison and
have drug lords use it.

Philippine National Police (PNP) community relations director Ricardo
de Leon said the suggestion could be "weighed" to ensure that no one
could "recycle" confiscated drugs.

"We'll weigh that suggestion but the policy is up to the Dangerous
Drugs Board. We want only the drug lords to die from this, don't we?"
he said in a radio interview.

De Leon, however, admitted it would be hard to implement such a policy
since drug lords generally do not use the drugs themselves.

"If we poison the seized shabu, it's not the drug lords who would use
it because they don't touch the stuff personally. The victims would be
the users who buy the poisoned shabu. This might spark some debates,"
he said.

De Leon noted the PNP would continue to conduct inventories of seized
drugs and schedule them for destruction through burning.

"We'll continue with the destruction. No one should benefit from these
confiscated drugs," he said.

De Leon added they would continue to run after vigilante groups that
take the law into their own hands and have claimed responsibility for
the summary execution of suspected drug pushers during the last few
days.