Pubdate: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 Source: People's Tonight (Philippines) Copyright: Journal Group 2006 Contact: http://www.journal.com.ph/contactus.asp Website: http://www.journal.com.ph Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3454 Author: Emil G. Gamos, Renato Gomba Quilicol Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) SHABU BROTHELS YIELD HOOKERS, MINORS BOCAUE, Bulacan -- Kalye Buntisan is a one-of-a-kind pleasure spa. It is a surreal world visited by all kinds of thrill seekers -- from junkies to sex predators -- and offers services that would titillate even the most reserved souls: shabu-cum-sex one-stop shops. Authorities made this shocking discovery after arresting at least 75 suspects, including prostitutes and minors from what police called "shabu brothels" in Bgy. Lolomboy here. From shabu tiangge to shabu restaurant and now shabu brothel -- the one-stop dope shop is now becoming a fad. The Bocaue version is the fourth drug "community" to fall, following the dismantling recently of the Pasig tiangge, Pasay shabu supermart and the Quiapo connection, the latter just the other day. Joint operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation Anti-Drug Task Force led by Ruel Lasala, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bulacan police stormed a row of shanties and nabbed 75 persons allegedly holding shabu sessions inside rooms that serve as dope dens or "shabu brothels." Lasala identified four of the suspected drug traffickers as Emilio Santiago, Rafael Gumatay, Benezer Gabriel and Analyn Balanditan. During drug testing yesterday, 39 of the suspects tested positive for shabu use. "Nagbabayad ng P20 to P30 ang mga gustong gumamit ng shabu," said Bocaue police chief Buenaventura Viray. The NBI said Belen Gumatay, the owner of the compound where the shabu brothels are situated, allegedly collects P600 a month and P50 a day for electricity from the maintainers of the shanties. For P20 a session, shabu users can rent a cubicle inside one of the many shanties. Two pesos is charged for an aluminum foil to be used as a tooter and a lighter to fire it up. The minimum purchase price for shabu is P200. "Talagang ang hithitan ng shabu ay 24 oras sa mga drug user sa Bgy. Lolomboy," said an NBI agent, requesting anonymity. Police seized a still undetermined quantity of shabu and assorted drug paraphernalia during the raid. The raid was conducted on the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Antonio Eugenio of the Manila Regional Trial Court. Notorious Kalye Buntisan has long been notoriously known as a "dope center." Before shabu became the favorite and most abused substance among drug users, Kalye Buntisan was already known as a major distribution center of marijuana and other narcotics in Bulacan. Most of the "dope customers" going to Kalye Buntisan were bar girls and employees of night spots and honky tonk bars along the so-called red-light district area of Bocaue and nearby Marilao town. Viray said police are constantly conducting anti-drugs operations not only in Kalye Buntisan but also in other parts of Bocaue. The arrested suspects, some of whom are minors and women, were herded into two buses and brought by NBI agents to their headquarters in Manila where they will undergo further investigation. Bulacan Governor Josie dela Cruz, who is a resident of Bocaue, commended the NBI, the Bulacan police and PDEA agents for a job well done. She said the area has been the subject of surveillance for a long time now and the police teams have finally rid the area of drug pushers and users. Meanwhile, an anti-narcotics agent disclosed that the shabu trade has made a big come back after being scarce due to the busting of several shabu laboratories in the last two years. The agent, who requested anonymity, said that there now seems to be an alarming trend in the sales and distribution of shabu as shown by the presence of "shabu tiangges." "Bigla na lang bumulaga na malakas na naman ang bentahan ng shabu pagkaraan ng ilang buwang pagkawala nito," the agent said, adding that at one time, shabu was dislodged by marijuana as the favorite among drug users. "Medyo nag-shi-shift na nga sa marijuana 'yung mga user dahil naging scarce ang shabu dahil sa sunod-sunod na pagkakalansag ng mga laboratoryo nito," he observed. He said that shabu has once again become the "box office hit" among drug users because many "one-stop shops" have emerged in Metro Manila - -- and now in Bulacan. "Ang tanong, eh, saan kaya nanggagaling ang mga shabu na ibinebenta sa mga tiangge na 'yan?" the anti-narcotics agent asked. - --- MAP posted-by: Tom