Saturday, January 14, 2006 (Philippines)

About 50,000 people - from seniors thankful for their good health, to students anxious about upcoming exams—rose at dawn yesterday for a procession in Cebu City’s streets. (Sun.star photo/Amper Campaña) What was supposed to be an operation against the importation of right-hand-drive vehicles yielded a surprise for agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 yesterday noon. Inside an empty warehouse in Barangay Pulpogan, Consolacion, Cebu were equipment units essential to the manufacture of methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly known as shabu. NBI head agent Renato Mandawe told reporters they could not yet confirm if the boiler, mixer and dryer were used to make the illegal drug, saying these machineries were not solely for this purpose. [full story]