A FORMER official of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) has warned the public to be vigilant against the presence of cocaine in the Philippines.
Lawyer Clarence Oaminal, former undersecretary and vice-chair of DDB who, despite his ouster, said he would continue his advocacy against illegal drugs as he called on the public to be aware with the current situation as far as the problem on illegal drugs is concerned.
“I already gave warning to the nation as early as last year, days after the ‘accidental seizure’ of around 16 kilos of cocaine in a private container yard in Sasa, Davao City,” Oaminal said in a press statement.
He added that the people must be on alert against smuggling of cocaine into the country with the reported “seizure” in Davao and Samar.
“This is an undisputable proof that cocaine is now in the Philippines. We would be fooling ourselves if we justify its presence by saying that we are just a transshipment point,” Oaminal stressed.
With this, he called on all concerned agencies particularly the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Bureau of Customs and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to keep vigilant and must not be “slumbering” especially during the election so as not to give drug syndicates the opportunity to invade the country.