MICHAEL MEDINA
Editor-in-chief
PAGADIAN CITY--Take these revelations straight from the shoulder: the illicit drug abuse in the city and elsewhere is more serious than thought by many—more serious and worse than communist rebels, Islamic militants and the Reston ebolavirus combined.
This was how board member Ernesto Mondarte, chairman of the committee on police and public safety, sees the drug problem in the country in an exclusive interview.
Mondarte’s revelation followed the release of the US Department of State’s 2006 International Narcotics Control Report, which labeled the Philippines a “drug smuggler’s paradise.”
The report went on to say that the illegal drug trade in the country has evolved into a billion-dollar industry while it continues to host foreign organized criminal activities from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
“Its earth-shaking, vicious than terrorism and dangerous than any diseases known to man. Dili gani nato ni makompara sa pinakangilgig nga sakit kay mas grabe ang epekto niining droga unya ang iyang effect indiscriminate, dili tumbok,” Mondarte told MINDANAO MONITOR.
A latest study has acknowledged that there are now 3.5 million habitual drug users nationwide while there are 1.6 million who uses drugs occasionally.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) also said that illegal drugs, the most common is shabu and ecstasy, are easily bought in every part of the country and that drug syndicates are not only confined to the ordinary people but those who hold power and fame.
Even honest authorities have no match to these powerful drug syndicates because of protection they are getting from the corrupt judiciary, police and politicians.
And when it comes to counter-narcotics law enforcement, the government offices assigned suffers a setback because of lack of resources.
The report also noted that corruption and inefficiency among government officials has also complicated eradication efforts. This reality exacerbates the campaign against the illegal drug problem, Mondarte laments.
“Kung naa gani paryente, amigo o kaila nga involve sa drugs, dili gyod angayan manawag sa otoridad ug moingon nga ato na lang ayum-ayumon. Mao unta nay himoon sa anaa sa mga public officials,” Mondarte explains.
Although the board member declined to give details and statistics for his revelation, he expressed grief that in Pagadian, for example, the illegal drug trade has infiltrated almost all of its 54 barangays.
When asked to appraise the level of illegal drugs infiltration into these villages in the scale of 1 to 10, Mondarte readily answered, “ten.”
“Kung pananglitan ang epekto sa droga taman lang sa gagamit, bahala ka diha’g unsay mahitabo pero og pamilya ug katilingban na ang gun-ubon, wala tay padulngan,” he said.
“With the drug addiction, the youth sector is not only the vulnerable sector but everybody,” he added.
Now, a new problem is emerging, the lawmaker said, as he believed the illicit drug trade would most probably fund politicians in the May 2010 presidential and congressional elections.
PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago, who said he had information that politicians at local and national level were involved in the drug trade, protecting and even financing syndicates, shares Mondarte’s point of view.
Two weeks ago, Gov. Aurora Cerilles cracked her whip and announced that she will wage war against druglords and gunrunners in the province.
The governor’s announcement came in the heels of the so-called “Alabang Boys” controversy wherein it was reported that there was an alleged P50-million bribe that led to the recommendation by state prosecutors to dismiss the charges against the rich boys.
Cerilles, who repeated her pronouncement during an interview at her residence, said: “As long as I am the chairperson of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) of Zamboanga Peninsula, I will do my best to stop illegal drugs in the region. We should protect the future of our children and grandchildren as illegal drugs are considered a menace of society.”
The governor said she was concerned the infiltration and continued proliferation of illegal drugs into villages unhampered could be an upshot of the so-called narco-politics.
Narco-politics is the unholy practice of financing the election campaigns of political candidates by drug lords in exchange for the protection of drug syndicates.
Cerilles told this paper that she strongly believes in narco-politics having observed the involvement of some political personalities in her province in the illegal drug trade.
In alluding, the governor then remarked, “Dili na ni sila pwede tawgon og mga suspects kay publicly known na man ni sila.”
Mondarte, in assuring this paper, said that the provincial government is continuing its plan to revitalize the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Committees (BADAC), which will lead in identifying who among those in the villages are into the illegal drugs business.
An organized BADAC Auxiliary Force consists of 25 people who are not members of the Sangguniang Barangay and Barangay Tanod.
This group will gather information on the existence and names of drug pushers, users and protectors after which the list is turned over to the local chief executives.
“Our fight against drugs will not be effective if dili magsugod sa barangay level,” Mondarte said.
The lawmaker concluded that he is optimistic he has the commitment of local executives and law enforcers.
But the anti-drug campaign, he concluded, still has to get full support and active participation from the general public.
PAGADIAN CITY--Take these revelations straight from the shoulder: the illicit drug abuse in the city and elsewhere is more serious than thought by many—more serious and worse than communist rebels, Islamic militants and the Reston ebolavirus combined.
This was how board member Ernesto Mondarte, chairman of the committee on police and public safety, sees the drug problem in the country in an exclusive interview.
Mondarte’s revelation followed the release of the US Department of State’s 2006 International Narcotics Control Report, which labeled the Philippines a “drug smuggler’s paradise.”
The report went on to say that the illegal drug trade in the country has evolved into a billion-dollar industry while it continues to host foreign organized criminal activities from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
“Its earth-shaking, vicious than terrorism and dangerous than any diseases known to man. Dili gani nato ni makompara sa pinakangilgig nga sakit kay mas grabe ang epekto niining droga unya ang iyang effect indiscriminate, dili tumbok,” Mondarte told MINDANAO MONITOR.
A latest study has acknowledged that there are now 3.5 million habitual drug users nationwide while there are 1.6 million who uses drugs occasionally.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) also said that illegal drugs, the most common is shabu and ecstasy, are easily bought in every part of the country and that drug syndicates are not only confined to the ordinary people but those who hold power and fame.
Even honest authorities have no match to these powerful drug syndicates because of protection they are getting from the corrupt judiciary, police and politicians.
And when it comes to counter-narcotics law enforcement, the government offices assigned suffers a setback because of lack of resources.
The report also noted that corruption and inefficiency among government officials has also complicated eradication efforts. This reality exacerbates the campaign against the illegal drug problem, Mondarte laments.
“Kung naa gani paryente, amigo o kaila nga involve sa drugs, dili gyod angayan manawag sa otoridad ug moingon nga ato na lang ayum-ayumon. Mao unta nay himoon sa anaa sa mga public officials,” Mondarte explains.
Although the board member declined to give details and statistics for his revelation, he expressed grief that in Pagadian, for example, the illegal drug trade has infiltrated almost all of its 54 barangays.
When asked to appraise the level of illegal drugs infiltration into these villages in the scale of 1 to 10, Mondarte readily answered, “ten.”
“Kung pananglitan ang epekto sa droga taman lang sa gagamit, bahala ka diha’g unsay mahitabo pero og pamilya ug katilingban na ang gun-ubon, wala tay padulngan,” he said.
“With the drug addiction, the youth sector is not only the vulnerable sector but everybody,” he added.
Now, a new problem is emerging, the lawmaker said, as he believed the illicit drug trade would most probably fund politicians in the May 2010 presidential and congressional elections.
PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago, who said he had information that politicians at local and national level were involved in the drug trade, protecting and even financing syndicates, shares Mondarte’s point of view.
Two weeks ago, Gov. Aurora Cerilles cracked her whip and announced that she will wage war against druglords and gunrunners in the province.
The governor’s announcement came in the heels of the so-called “Alabang Boys” controversy wherein it was reported that there was an alleged P50-million bribe that led to the recommendation by state prosecutors to dismiss the charges against the rich boys.
Cerilles, who repeated her pronouncement during an interview at her residence, said: “As long as I am the chairperson of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) of Zamboanga Peninsula, I will do my best to stop illegal drugs in the region. We should protect the future of our children and grandchildren as illegal drugs are considered a menace of society.”
The governor said she was concerned the infiltration and continued proliferation of illegal drugs into villages unhampered could be an upshot of the so-called narco-politics.
Narco-politics is the unholy practice of financing the election campaigns of political candidates by drug lords in exchange for the protection of drug syndicates.
Cerilles told this paper that she strongly believes in narco-politics having observed the involvement of some political personalities in her province in the illegal drug trade.
In alluding, the governor then remarked, “Dili na ni sila pwede tawgon og mga suspects kay publicly known na man ni sila.”
Mondarte, in assuring this paper, said that the provincial government is continuing its plan to revitalize the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Committees (BADAC), which will lead in identifying who among those in the villages are into the illegal drugs business.
An organized BADAC Auxiliary Force consists of 25 people who are not members of the Sangguniang Barangay and Barangay Tanod.
This group will gather information on the existence and names of drug pushers, users and protectors after which the list is turned over to the local chief executives.
“Our fight against drugs will not be effective if dili magsugod sa barangay level,” Mondarte said.
The lawmaker concluded that he is optimistic he has the commitment of local executives and law enforcers.
But the anti-drug campaign, he concluded, still has to get full support and active participation from the general public.