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Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Court: Destroy shabu, equipment in Mandaue raid
CEBU CITY -- Just a day after she inspected the shabu laboratories in Mandaue City, Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 28 Judge Marilyn Lagura Yap ordered the destruction of the confiscated illegal drugs, chemicals and equipment, except those "items of lawful commerce."
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 and the Department of Health 7 were told to carry out the court order issued Tuesday.
Both agencies will have to coordinate with Chief Insp. Myrna Areola of the PNP Crime Laboratory.
Judge Yap, in her order, said all the hazardous materials or substances inside the Caps R Us warehouse in Barangay Umapad, which are already included in the inventory, will be the first to be disposed of.
The destruction should be made in the presence of the accused, media representatives, the Department of Justice, Mandaue City prosecutor, civic society groups like Manlaw Inc. and Couples for Christ and Mayor Thadeo Ouano.
PDEA 7 Chief Amado Marquez needs to work together with the Mandaue City Prosecutor's Office on the quantity of samples that should be retained for trial.
Eleven men, mostly foreigners, have been charged for manufacturing illegal drugs.
They were caught with the shabu, precursor chemicals and lab equipment during a raid on a warehouse complex in Barangay Umapad last Sept. 24.
The Bureau of Food and Drugs (Bfad) 7 is still waiting for an advisory from their central office on how to dispose of the chemicals.
Bfad 7 Chief Angelita Salarda said PDEA representatives already consulted them on what to do.
The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas questioned a customs official yesterday whether some of the chemicals used in making shabu were sourced from firms inside the Mactan Economic Zone.
The ombudsman is conducting a fact-finding inquiry on the case.
Bureau of Customs lawyer James Dy Buco appeared in behalf of Customs Collector Billy Bibit, whom the anti-graft office subpoenaed to explain how the equipment and other materials found inside the warehouses got into Cebu.
The hearing was held behind closed doors, so no details were available.
Since the shabu laboratories were set up in warehouses, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Robert Go advised owners of such facilities to include in their contracts of lease a provision that will allow them to inspect their properties.
"It should also include that the operations of the lessor should be for legal businesses otherwise the contracts will be terminated," Go said.
Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano, for his part, is offering P1 million to anyone who could help in the conviction of a local official allegedly linked to the shabu operations.
Ouano said he is willing to go that far just to prove that he is not the same official being referred to.
Half of the amount will come from the City Government while the remaining half will be shouldered by the Ouano family.
Ouano told reporters on Tuesday that the reward would be given to the tipster if the information will lead to the conviction of the official.
The giving of the reward will be incorporated in a resolution that will cite Executive Order 29, which creates guidelines to deter illegal activities in the city.
The executive order states that all tipsters whose information leads to the capture of "perpetrators of illegal activities" will be given a corresponding reward based on an incentive scheme that the City Council will determine.
Not easy
Ouano also brushed aside calls for him and the entire City Council to resign in the light of the discovery of the shabu laboratories in Umapad and Paknaan and the storage facility in Looc.
"We took an oath. Is it that easy for us to step down?" he said.
Former city councilor Magno Dionson, staunch critic of the Ouano administration, wrote an open letter and sought the resignation of the elected officials "to save Mandaue City and the entire Mandauehanons from further damnation."
Also included in Dionson's letter were Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Christabel Cuizon and Association of Barangay Councils president Jovita Tuela "Joy" Ouano.
Dionson also did not spare political ally Elmer Cabahug, the lone opposition in the City Council.
"All of you would only have to remember that a mistake assuming this is only your liability, gracefully acknowledged in a victory won," Dionson's letter stated.
Ouano also thanked the group of people who assembled in front of City Hall the other day to express their support for him.
Around 150 liters of liquefied shabu and some 400 to 500 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride or chloro-ephedrine were confiscated from the shabu laboratory in Umapad.
Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuņo, Regional State Prosecutor Antonio Arellano, Cebu City Prosecutor Cezar Tajanlangit, Mandaue City Prosecutor Ferdi-nand Peque and Man-daue City Assistant City Prosecutor Felixberto and Atty. Gia Rodriguez of the Public Attorney's Office were present when Judge Yap inspected the shabu laboratories in Umapad and Paknaan and the confiscated drugs and chemicals that are now with the PNP Crime Laboratory last Monday.
"The chemists are still in the process of completing the inventory of all of the items found therein but noted especially the presence of hazardous chemicals and substances," Judge Yap said.
Up to now, government agencies still do not know how to dispose of these large quantities of chemicals.
Even the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7 is uncertain how these illegal drugs and chemicals can be destroyed without causing harm to the environment.
Under ordinary cases, confiscated shabu is simply melted in water and flushed down the toilet.
But in this case, PNP Crime Laboratory chemist Jude Daniel Mendoza expressed doubt whether this same procedure can be followed because it might seep into the aquifer.
It cannot also be burned because this is prohibited under the Clean Air Act.
The shabu ingredients include substances that can cause chemical burns or can easily ignite.
Like in Luzon, the PDEA has to identify the dumping area and lead the disposal of the chemicals. (ROV/AAG/CYR/KNR)
(October 6, 2004 issue)
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