By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered the immediate destruction of the nearly PHP4-B worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or (shabu) found by fishers off the shores of Pangasinan on June 5 and 6.
“President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the immediate destruction of the recovered illegal drugs. These illicit substances must be destroyed once and for all before they can cause harm to the Filipino people,” Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Isagani Nerez said in a statement on Sunday.
The 588 vacuum-sealed transparent plastic packs of shabu, weighing at least 587.8 kilograms and worth PHP3.997 billion, were found by 29 fisherfolk from the coastal communities of of Dacap Sur, Bani; Boboy, Agno; and Luciente I Balingasay and Poblacion, all in Bolinao, Pangasinan.
Nerez said they are the true heroes.
“Even in their own small ways, they prioritized the safety and well-being of others over their own and stood up for what is right,” he said.
He said the fishers surrendered the shabu to joint operatives of PDEA, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Navy and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
“The retrieval operations highlight the strong inter-agency collaboration and cooperation among law enforcement agencies in protecting the country’s vast and porous coastlines from any threats of drug smuggling and trafficking,” Nerez said.
He said the PDEA continues to forge partnerships with local communities, maritime stakeholders, and other government and law enforcement agencies to prevent the country’s seas from being used as dropping and transshipment points of dangerous drugs.
Nerez cited the support of the PCG under Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan; PNP under Gen. Nicolas Torre III; Philippine Navy under Vice Admiral Jose Ma. Ambrosio Ezpeleta; and NBI under Director Jaime Santiago, to include the assistance from local government units of Agno, Bani and Bolinao, Pangasinan.
He said continuous retrieval operations by the PCG and PN are happening on the surrounding seas of Pangasinan with the help of the local government units and local fisherfolk.
On May 29, some PHP1.5 billion worth of floating shabu were also found by 10 Bataan fishers off the waters of Masinloc, Zambales and surrendered to authorities. (PNA)
