DILG backs Duterte claim Naga a ‘hotbed of shabu’

Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Eduardo Año on Wednesday backed the statement of President Rodrigo Duterte that Naga City, the hometown of Vice President Leni Robredo, is supposedly a "hotbed of shabu."

Duterte, in a speech before business leaders in Malacañang, mentioned the prevalence of illegal drugs in Naga to boost his argument against the leadership ability of Robredo, his constitutional successor.

"The President mentioned that because still there are persistent reports of drug trafficking and drug operation in Naga along with Cebu so that means to say that we are actually directing our effort and focus to conduct anti-drug operations in Region 5," Año told reporters.

Año added the department keeps a record of the drug affectation of barangays and daily "raw" reports from police units.

"The validation will continue," he said.

Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Catalino Cuy agreed with Año as regards validation.

“Iyong mga ganoong mga information for continuous validation. And if may makitang probability, then that will be for case building up,” Cuy said.

Año admitted the problem of illegal drugs cannot be solved "overnight" after Duterte lamented that transactions involving illegal drugs have ballooned from millions to billions of pesos.

"It entails support of everybody," the Cabinet official said.  — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News