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Tuesday, January 22, 2008
5 drug lords rule Central Mindanao
By Malu Cadelina Manar
Correspondent
KIDAPAWAN CITY -- At least five drug lords are operating in Central Mindanao, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (Pdea) here said.
In his report during the provincial anti-drug summit held Monday at the Grand Ficus Recreation Center, Pdea-Central Mindanao chief Amado Tana identified five "major drug personalities" in the region.
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These are Kagui Lao of Cotabato City, Montawal of Maguindanao, Maghanoy of North Cotabato, and Marcos Fatima Baliwan and Black Moro from Sultan Kudarat.
Tana said Black Moro has been neutralized early January this year.
The drugs, methamphetamine hydrochloride in particular, are transported from Cotabato City to major key cities in the region including Kidapawan, Koronadal, Tacurong, and General Santos.
Most of these drugs are either shipped from Manila through the southern backdoor, reports said.
Tana also said these drugs are exported to Indonesia using the fishing vessels operating in Saranggani.
The shipment is done in many ways, he said. Drugs are either placed in spare tires, junk foods or canned goods, and children as young as nine years old are used as couriers.
The Pdea-Central Mindanao has also identified major marijuana plantations in Koronadal City and in the tri-boundary of Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and Saranggani.
Cotabato Vice Governor Manny Piñol, chair of the Cotabato Anti-Drug Task Force, has expressed dismay on the slow pace of law enforcement against drug lords operating in Central Mindanao.
Piñol, during the summit, chided the PDEA for its seemingly "sluggish" law enforcement on drugs.
He asked PDEA why these drug dealers were not convicted. "Why are they (suspected drug lords) not convicted? You (PDEA) have already identified them, yet, none of them has been placed behind bars," he said.
The vice governor was frustrated during the summit when he learned that none of the drug enforcers in the province had been given pictures of those drug lords.
"How can you arrest them (drug lords) if you don't know how they look? You don't even have a strong network to pin them down," said Piñol.
The PDEA earned Piñol's ire even more when he learned that of the many drug cases filed in court, none has reached a conviction.
Piñol, however, is not blaming the trial court judges for the slow pace of conviction of drug cases.
He said many of the apprehending police officers who are central to the investigation and court litigations do not appear in court.
He learned from Judge Lily Laguindanum of the Regional Trial Court Branch 24 based in Kabacan, North Cotabato that most of those drug cases filed in her sala have failed to reach a conviction because many of the drug enforcers failed to prove that the evidences marked as exhibits were properly handled.
Many of these exhibits, she said, have passed through several hands before they reached the Philippine National Police (PNP) crime laboratory for the examination.
"This is vital in determining that there was no swapping or planting of evidences to prosecute a suspect," said Laguindanum. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Manila. (January 22, 2008 issue)
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