P7-B shabu smuggling calls for presidential office on drugs, crime

Senate President Vicente Sotto III believes that the P7 billion worth of shabu reported to have slipped past authorities only strengthens his call for the creation of an office that would unify all necessary agencies handling anti-drug and crimes operations.

Earlier in the week, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency raided a warehouse in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite only to find four empty magnetic lifters believed to have been used to smuggle a ton of shabu.

Reports indicated that the massive haul came into the country with another P4.3 billion worth of shabu that was brought in using similar magnetic lifting equipment that was intercepted and found to contain P3.4-billion worth of shabu in last Tuesday's  raid at the Manila International Container Port.

In an interview on DWIZ, Sotto on Saturday said the PDEA and the Bureau of Customs should not point fingers at each other for failing to apprehend the P7 billion worth of drugs.

"Well, una sa lahat, dapat ang PDEA 'tsaka ang Bureau of Customs, 'di nag-aaway sa publiko. Wala munang turuan. Imbistigahan muna nating mabuti kung anong nangyari," said the Senate President.

"Pangalawa, palagay ko, lalakas na lalo 'yung tinutulak ko na i-create na 'yung Presidential Office on Drugs and Crime eh. Makapaloob sila doon. Magkakasaman sila doon, ang PDEA tsaka Customs," he added.

Sotto was referring to a resolution he filed earlier this year that urged President Rodrigo Duterte to create the “Presidential Office on Drugs and Crimes.”

Under the resolution, the Presidential Office on Drugs and Crimes shall supervise and make into one body not only the BOC and PDEA, but also the Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, National Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice.

"Hindi sila magkahiwalay ng ganyan," Sotto said.

Moreover, he said that he plans to take up the proposal once more with the President.

"Meron akong proposal eh, uulitin ko kay Presidente 'yun pag nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataon eh. Palagay ko 'yun ang isa sa mga solution para naaayos ng mabuti 'yung ganyang mga pangyayari," he said.

"Pagka ganyan, nakakadala na ito," Sotto added. —LBG, GMA News