Pubdate: Sat, 01 Jan 2005
Source: Philippine Star (Philippines)
Copyright: PhilSTAR Daily Inc. 2004
Contact:  http://www.philstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/622
Author: Non Alquitran

NOT ENOUGH REHAB CENTERS FOR 3.4-M DRUG DEPENDENTS, SAYS AID-SOTF

The shortage of drug rehabilitation centers is hampering the government's
effort to rehabilitate the country's 3.4 million drug addicts, police said
yesterday.

Deputy Director General Ricardo de Leon, head of the police Anti-Illegal
Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOTF), said they are slowly
addressing the problem by asking Congress to fund the construction of
additional drug treatment facilities nationwide.

De Leon said records of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) revealed that the
country has 63 government and privately-run drug rehabilitation centers, but
these facilities can only accommodate some 9,000 of the country's 3.4
million drug dependents.

"We want Congress to allocate funds for the construction of additional
treatment facilities in each province and selected cities nationwide," De
Leon said.

He emphasized that the construction of more drug rehab centers in 17 regions
of the country would result in treatment of an additional 10,000 drug
addicts.

"We will not be completely addressing the problem, but what is important is
we are slowly moving toward the right direction," the AID-SOTF chief said.

De Leon claimed that AID-SOTF started focusing on the rehabilitation aspect
of the drug problem after they were able to neutralize at least 60 percent
of the shabu supply in the country.

Since its inception in June 2003, AID-SOTF, under the leadership of now
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Edgar Aglipay, shut
down 29 shabu laboratories and warehouses nationwide.

The effort led to the confiscation of some P22 billion worth of shabu, raw
materials and equipment used in the manufacture of the illegal drug.

During Aglipay's watch, President Arroyo released a P500-million budget for
AID-SOTF's war against drug syndicates.

In his recent tour of the provinces, De Leon said reports reaching his
office showed that the price of shabu tripled or quadrupled in Davao, Cebu
and Metro Manila.

He said the price of shabu was pegged in Metro Manila streets at P3,500 per
gram, P3,800 in Cebu and P4,200 in Davao provinces.

De Leon credited the reduction of the shabu supply in the country to
AID-SOTF's relentless campaign against illegal drugs and the cooperation it
established with other Asian countries.

But the AID-SOTF chief bewailed the fact that his office is now running on a
P1- million monthly budget which, he admitted, is not enough to battle the
big time drug syndicates. 
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MAP posted-by: Josh