Babe's Eye View article

The recent shabu busts in the Subic Freeport Zone worth almost P5 billion clearly shows the drug situation in the Philippines is not good at all. SBMA people are objecting to what PASG chief Bebot Villar said that the Subic Freeport has become a transshipment point for illegal drugs. Yet people can't help but think about it that way because there's so much smuggling going on in and out of Subic.

It's beginning to have a very bad image. Early this month, five container vans of luncheon meat bound for Vietnam were apprehended. Late last year, there was the celebrated case of smuggled luxury cars. Even Subic residents are complaining that the crime situation inside the eco-zone has worsened. Clearly, the image of Subic has deteriorated.

Subic is a former US naval base. It's so ironic because US Security experts are so paranoid about drugs. That's why they're so disappointed to see Subic turning into a transshipment point of drugs with this major bust. Drug trafficking has become a multi-billion dollar industry, with terrorist groups sourcing funds from international drug traffickers. Top officials from the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs are very concerned about the spread of "narco-terrorism," and how it could undermine US national security.

Afghanistan is the world's biggest producer of opium, and its links with the Taliban pose a major threat, especially to the United States. We have to remember, 9-11 was hatched in Afghanistan by Osama bin Laden who continues to elude capture and is still probably somewhere in the mountains of Afghanistan near the borders of Pakistan.

According to the 2008 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) released by the US State Department, the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf are directly involved in drug smuggling, protecting shabu manufacturers and helping transport illegal drugs in the Philippines and across Asia. With our 7,100 islands, the Philippines has become a strategic transshipment point for drug smuggling, with drugs and precursor chemicals going in and out of the country through seaports, economic zones and airports.

According to the same INCS report, chemicals used for manufacturing shabu are smuggled mostly from China, Hong Kong and even India. Along with Burma, Thailand and China, the Philippines is named as a primary source of methamphetamine bound for Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea and the US, as well as ketamine (an animal anesthetic which has become a popular party drug) and "Ecstasy" exported to Taiwan.

It's usually foreigners who bring in drugs into the country, so perhaps we should consider the proposal of Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan to require visas even from tourists from ASEAN countries to give us stricter control over those who come to the Philippines.

Aside from shabu, the cultivation of marijuana is also flourishing particularly in the Cordilleras. Dubbed as "green gold," marijuana cultivation has become a multi-million dollar industry, with the NPA controlling and protecting a lot of plantations. While authorities have conducted numerous operations, it has been an uphill battle considering that drug enforcement operatives lack necessary logistics like helicopters to go after growers and eradicate plantations. I'm told by insiders from the Department of Defense that there's a pending contract with Bell Helicopters for the new Huey II helicopters. We better get this done soon. Most of the Air Force helicopters are either grounded or have become "flying coffins."

In Mexico, Colombia and other countries where the drug menace has become a big government headache, Bell's Huey II helicopters have been extremely successful in locating and eradicating marijuana and opium plantations, neutralizing operations in high altitude areas since these helicopters have better access to difficult terrain.

The synergy between PASG, PDEA, PNP and other agencies are producing positive results, but obviously, this is not enough. My Malacañang sources tell me PGMA went ballistic when she heard about the major drug bust—and rightly so. She should even be angrier because it happened in Subic—an area that is supposed to be a showcase of foreign investments. The situation is not getting better, with 220 local drug trafficking groups, eight transnational drug organizations operating in the country, and at least five major foreign drug lords from China and Taiwan.

We have over 36,000 kilometers of shoreline—even longer than the United States'—which is why more helicopters and more boats are needed to patrol our shorelines. Perhaps when GMA sees George Bush in Washington later this month, she may want to discuss the Subic drug bust to show that we need more resources to combat drug smuggling, which affects both the United States and the Philippines.

I have personally seen how drugs destroyed the lives of people from well-to-do-families, like Dado Godinez, Ramon Nieto and Jodie Stewart, the son of Channel 7's Uncle Bob. All of them in one way or the other got into drugs—which ultimately caused their death.

A 2000 survey says there are 10 million drug-dependent Filipinos—but the number could easily be higher today. Illegal drugs is a creeping threat that undermines a nation's stability, and it cuts across all sectors of society. It does not make distinctions whether you're male or female, rich or poor.

I cannot overemphasize how this growing drug problem could destroy a country. Colombia has become notorious as the drug capital of the world—and we certainly don't want to go that way. We must seriously continue the war on drugs, and ultimately win—no ifs or buts.