Pubdate: Fri, 09 Nov 2001
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines)
Copyright: 2001 Philippine Daily Inquirer
Contact:  http://www.inquirer.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1073
Author: Gerald G. Lacuarta

2.2 M FILIPINOS ARE DRUG USERS - AGENCY REPORT

THE PHILIPPINES has up to 2.2 million full-fledged drug users, helped 
by around 500,000 drug pushers who bring the drug menace to the 
communities, the National Drug Law Enforcement and Prevention 
Coordinating (DEP) Center reported Thursday.

Chief Supt. Miguel Coronel, executive director of the DEP Center, 
said results of a Social Weather Stations survey commissioned by the 
DEP Center in July 2001 showed that a majority of those who admitted 
having used illegal drugs were aged 25-34 and belonged to the Class D.

The same SWS survey, conducted from July 9 to 27 among 1,200 adult 
respondents, showed that 51 percent of Filipinos now consider the 
drug menace as a "very serious problem."

Residents of Metro Manila feel more strongly that the drug menace has 
reached very serious proportions than those living in other parts of 
the country. Survey results showed 41 percent of Metro Manilans view 
the drug problem as "very serious" but only 33 percent of those 
living elsewhere in Luzon feel the same.

Coronel said only 39 percent in the Visayas and 33 percent in 
Mindanao regard the drug menace as "very serious."

Even Director General Leandro Mendoza, chief of the Philippine 
National Police, himself was alarmed that the drug menace has become 
entrenched in urban communities following the discovery of three 
shabu laboratories this year.

Busted were shabu laboratories in Quezon City last March, in Lipa 
City in May, and in Pasig City last Tuesday.

Mendoza said new techniques in the manufacture of shabu have been 
devised such that "cooking" of the drug no longer emits an acidic 
smell.

"Before shabu laboratories were set up in islands because you could 
smell the acid as far 150 kilometers away," Mendoza said.

"But now, the cooking process is odorless because they no longer use 
ephedrine," he said.

Mendoza said the raid on the shabu laboratory in Pasig last Tuesday 
revealed that liquid materials other than ephedrine was now being 
used in the manufacture of shabu.

The laboratory was run by Chinese chemists, one of whom was arrested 
during the raid. Eight other Chinese were arrested along with three 
Filipinas.

The suspects identified their leader as one Cai Hontian alias Huai 
Ia, said to be a doctor and chemist. Police are trying to track him 
down.
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MAP posted-by: Josh