Saturday, August 11, 2007 Ocampo: Painful lessons By Tek Ocampo News Room
LAST week I covered two stories involving illegal activities in the city and I simply wondered why there are still some people who would risk everything for an act that could land them in jail or even end their lives.
A self confessed drug dependent went to our station at GMA TV 5 along Damaso Suazo St. to report a so-called pharmacy that's discreetly selling cough syrups to drug addicts. The pharmacy is located along Garcia Heights in Barangay 19-B.
The drug dependent identified himself as a certain Jun. I asked Jun why he is giving us this information. Jun said he wants to end his addiction to the drug. And, one way to help him achieve that is to close down the pharmacy that supplies them the drug.
Jun and his friends regularly buy cough syrup at the pharmacy. They usually ingest cough syrup in large dosage to make them high. The effect of the heavy dosage is similar to the effect of puffing marijuana, Jun said.
The cough syrup's brand name is Menthodex - DM. According to a supplier of medicines in Davao, they no longer sell the drug. They already know that it's being abused by drug dependents as an alternative drug. Its formulation contains sodium citrate, dextromethorphan, and phenylpropanolamine and chlorophenamine maleate.
Debbie Legaspi, food and drug regulation officer of DOH/BFAD, said large dosage of the drug can lead to stomach irritation, cardiovascular changes and psychotic reactions. A patient taking this drug is not allowed to drive, and operate machinery where loss of attention could lead to accidents. The drug is also a hallucinogen.
We conducted a test buy. Our researchers were able to buy two bottles of Menthodex cough syrup for P160.
On July 1, we coordinated with the Investigation Section of the Davao City Police Office and the Bureau of Food and Drugs and planned an entrapment operation.
The police authorities together with the officials from BFAD raided the pharmacy. They were able to confiscate 18 boxes of Menthodex syrup at 24 and 72 bottles per box. The owner of the pharmacy was identified as Esperanza Belches, a registered pharmacist. She admitted to the authorities selling the cough syrups to junkies. She even had prescription medicines for sale. Belches also admitted she does not have a business permit or license to sell drugs from BFAD.
Belches is now facing charges for violating RA 3720 or the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act and RA 5921 or the Pharmacy Law. If found guilty of such violations, Belches' license as a pharmacist could be revoked.
Second story, as I was covering general assignment for Testigo at the Davao Medical Center, a police mobile patrol car arrived at the emergency entrance of the hospital. A man came out of the vehicle covered with blood. Inside the vehicle, a body was wrapped with white cloth. The police told me that both were suspected to be dynamite fishers who just had an accident while trying to throw dynamite at a school of fish in the sea of Tibungco. The dynamite exploded right in their boat before it could be thrown away. The fatality was identified as Venancio Juanich Jr. The blast was so powerful it nearly tore him in half.
My news crew went to the area to investigate. We saw Venancio's boat. It was a total wreck. Lorna, Venancio's wife, denied knowledge of her husband's illegal fishing activity. Settlers in the area are reluctant to tell us what really happened. But at least one neighbor informed us that the day before the accident, both Venancio and Gigi were able to sell 180 kilograms of fish valued at P60 per kilo gathered through dynamite fishing.
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte ordered the police to investigate incidents of dynamite fishing in Tibungco and Bunawan. Dynamite fishing is illegal. It is a serious threat to the natural habitat of fishes living in our coastal waters. The city council and the Davao Gulf Foundation had just identified Tibungco and Bunawan, among others, as marine protected environments.
Because of dynamite fishing, a man was killed and his companion is still fighting for his life at the hospital. If Ginalig will make it alive, he will still be facing charges for violating RA 8550, otherwise known as the Philippine Fisheries Code for using explosive in fishing.
Two painful lessons learned. Such incidents could have been avoided if not for selfishness and greed of some people. There are several means to earn a living, a lot of them lawful.
