Pubdate: Mon, 22 Aug 2005 Source: Sunstar Bacolod (Philippines) Copyright: 2005sSunstar Contact: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1718 Author: EASD Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Philippines ANTI-DRUG BODY CONDUCTS SEMINAR ON IDENTIFYING SHABU THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Region 6 will conduct a one-day training-seminar at Police Training Center in Mansilingan, Bacolod City Monday. Topics include: how to identify chemicals, precursor of illegal substance and clandestine drug laboratories. Target participants are police officers in the province who are now undergoing Officer Advance Courses, police officers who are currently on schooling at the PNP Regional Training School 6 in Iloilo City, PDEA personnel and members of the tri-media in Bacolod City. PDEA Region 6 acting director Supt. Rolen Balquin said the training aims at equipping law enforcers not only those in the PDEA but including the media in Western Visayas the know-how in identifying suspected illegal drugs in cases of raids. "We also want to give aid to law enforcers in determining what is a clandestine drug laboratory that may be existing or soon to exist in Western Visayas," added Balquin. The training, said Balquin, will also be presented in 12 chapters that will also include lectures, exercises, including workshops. After the lecture, he added, participants will be given refresher tests to determine their knowledge based on what they've learned in the seminar. Balquin, meanwhile, recently disclosed that based on their intelligence monitoring there is probably a clandestine drug laboratory existing allegedly in an island located somewhere in northern Negros near the Cebu island. He, however, said that until now they are still doing some hunting procedures to determine the veracity of the intelligence report. But Balquin's report has bolstered the earlier disclosure of Cadiz City Mayor Salvador "Bading" Escalante Jr. calling their city as the new "dumping" ground of shabu. Escalante though admitted that their local policemen are "hapless" to curve such illegal dumping activities of illegal drugs in their coastal areas due to unavailability of resources in apprehending the suspects. The mayor believes that supplies coming in their city are probably coming from Cebu City or in any other nearby provinces. Cadiz is considered as a vast fishing ground of Negros Occidental. With 38-kilometer shoreline and 11 fishing villages, Escalante said, its very hard for their police to secure their city from dumping of illegal drugs. But he assured the public that in case their new Cadiz City Commercial Port will be completed soon, this drug dumping activity will be totally be abated. - ---