Pubdate: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines) Copyright: 2004 Philippine Daily Inquirer Contact: http://www.inquirer.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1073 Author: Tarra Quismundo, Inquirer News Service GOV'T TO USE 'SMALL FRY' TO CATCH DRUG LORDS THIS TIME it will be the small fish catching the whales and the sharks in the illegal drug trade. Secretary Jose Lina Jr. of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) disclosed Saturday that drug pushers and users caught with a small but substantial amount of drugs would be given a chance to save themselves. "Those who will tell us where the drugs are coming from will be cleared of the charges and be made state witnesses," Lina said. He made the statement in front of 143 drug suspects arrested all over Metro Manila over the past week. The drug suspects were presented to media by the National Capital Region Police Command, which is leading the anti-drug campaign in the metropolis. Lina explained that tips from street-level drug pushers might lead them to busting big-time drug suppliers, warehouses and laboratories in the country. At the same time, Lina said, the DILG would be tapping families that would act as "gatekeepers" for other families that might be vulnerable to drug abuse. Gatekeeper families would be tasked to organize 50 other families in their communities to discuss the dangers of drug abuse and devise ways of preventing their members from becoming victims. "The core message is: A family that prays together stays together," he said, borrowing the words of Father Patrick Peyton of the Family Rosary Crusade. He pointed out that "a disunited or loose family causes children to stray." The enlistment of small drug suspects and families is part of a continuing government effort in the war on drugs. "Many battles may have been won, but the war is not yet over," said Lina. "It is not enough that we dismantled labs and warehouses, where 13 billion pesos worth of drugs were recovered. We will pursue the campaign in barangays (villages) because that's where the action is," said Lina. The past one and a half months of NCRPO's barangay drug-clearing operations in Metro Manila led to the arrest of 947 drug suspects. This number makes for a total of 8,000 arrests of drug suspects in Metro Manila since the start of the intensified anti-drug campaign on June 16, 2003. NCRPO director Ricardo de Leon said that the several barangay saturation drives, where drug users were either caught in the act or arrested through court-issued arrest warrants, have cleared 841 barangays in the metro region. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake