by magnolia_eic | Nov 20, 2010 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
ADMITTING a debacle where they only have few agents whose identity they have to protect, the
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has appealed to the public for help.
Now faced with the singular task of curbing an alarming increase of drug concerns popping up in
Bohol and likely trend of drug related crimes, the local PDEA is forced to make their best efforts, and
appreciates the public’s help in building up the information linking known drug personalities to set up
an information database.
Any information that can help us build a stronger case against these personalities would be a great
help, said a PDEA agent at the Kapihan sa PIA last week.
If any among you notices within your neighborhood an endless stream of activities especially when
these involve strangers coming in and out of the neighborhood, that’s a big chance that a drug deal
within a community is happening, said the agent who asked not to be named.
He said that along with the police authorities, the PDEA keeps a hotline number open for any
information leading to the capture or conviction of the persons involved in the illegal and harmful
trade.
Any information can be coursed through 501 8730, he said as he assured calls and information
received would be treated with utmost confidentiality.
Meanwhile, Bohol Police at Camp Dagohoy are also putting up a Provincial Tactical Operations Center
(PTOC) hotline manned by a desk staff 24 hours a day, said PSSUpt. Constantino Barot.
Police hotlines are 0917-305-1833 and 0912-808-9279, he added.
The drug agent also called on parents, guardians and landlords to keep a tight watch with their
wards in as much as shabu, the most common abused substance in Bohol can now be sold at P500
packs.
This is well within the affordability of students who may decide to pool their money for a drug
session, according to him.
Parents who start to suspect drug use may find their wards finding difficulty sleeping, reduced or loss
of appetite and may manifest involuntary twitching of facial muscles.
He said, “indications of pot session is the presence of tin or aluminum foils, disposable lighters, tissue
papers, improvised burners and denatured alcohol.”
Finding any of these implements, parents can call the hotlines, PDEA said. (PIABohol)
by magnolia_eic | Nov 13, 2010 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
MOVING to get a clearer grasp of the drug situation in Bohol, the Provincial Peace and Order Council, wants
the narcotics agency in Bohol to report detailed town affectation analysis.
During the recent meeting of the Provincial Peace and Order Council at the People’s Mansion, Interior and
Local government provincial director Rustica Mascarinas proposed that instead of just baring accomplishments,
the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency also include drug affectation by towns.
Earlier, the council asked the PDEA reports to be a part of the regular PPOC briefings in efforts of the council
to effectively address not just police crime situation, internal security operations and other peace related
concerns but of the drug campaign situation as well.
Last Tuesday, the PDEA reported that while they have identified Ozamis City as the source of drugs distributed
in Bohol, port interdictions, which could strain the supply could not be done due to the agency’s manpower
problems.
Even then the PDEA, said agent Steven Valles is pushing the limits in anti-narcotic operations against identified
targets while bringing their information education campaign to the schools all over Bohol, including on the spot
poster making, slogan crafting essay writing contests among students.
He also added that in the pipeline is a drug detection and information gathering training for barangay tanods
as well as the planned joint operations for port interdictions.
During a separate forum, an agent of the PDEA told that regardless of the amounts and quality of the drugs
pushed and obtained during buy bust operations, the offense would be unbailable.
The situation is unlike a search warrant arrest, he said that only if the search team finds .5 grams can the
subject be denied of bail, according to the dangerous drugs law.
Concerned over the recent observation that shabu has become easily obtainable at P500 per .005 grams pack,
PDEA agents shared telltale signs that students are into the prohibited substance.
Anyone suspected of shabu use would remain awake for long periods of time, have a noticeable loss of
appetite and have facial muscle twitches or spasms, the PDEA agent said.
Parents who think they have a family member who is into shabu may find tinfoils, disposable lighters, burners
or tissue in the room, they should start worrying because these are signs that their wards are already on
substance use, he stressed.
A .005 grams of shabu can already be shared by a group of five in a pot session, he said.
That would be something like P100 per participant, making the substance easily affordable if they chip in to
but one sachet pack. (racPIABohol)
by magnolia_eic | Nov 13, 2010 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
ABUSE of a substance called Nubain, (Nalbuphine hydrochloride) which has lately been a choice of drug users
in Tagbilaran City has pushed the City Sanggunian to prepare for the enactment of an ordinance regulating the
sale and distribution of the analgesic.
According to a narcotic intelligence officer at the local Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the
province of Bohol, in fact through the Sangguniang Panlalawigan is eyeing the same move to considerably
lessen if not stop the abuse of the anesthetic that is not included in the banned substances under the
Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Since nubain is not in the list of illegal or prohibited substances, we have our hands tied in making operations
against the sale and possession of the injectable drug, the narcotic agent who guested the weekly Kapihan sa
PIA said.
One of the newer drugs which is classified as narcotic analgesic with less abuse potential, Nubain is a synthetic
opiate developed and approved for use as hydrochloride salt in injectable form of 10 to 20 mg ampules which
is not under the list of controlled or dangerous substance.
Nubain is used primarily for treating moderate to severe acute pains, the prescription drug can be easily
sourced out from crooked drug dealer and pharmaceutical agent or using a doctor’s forged prescription pad,
doctors shared.
At the radio forum aired live over DyTR, the narc agent who asked not to be named said the substance has
emerged he third most notoriously abused substance next to shabu and marijuana.
Sourced out basically from possible drug laboratory in Ozamis City in Mindanao and coursed usually through
Cebu, the metamphitamine hydrochloride gets to Bohol presumably through the ports of entry, PDEA
Intelligence Offficer Steven Valles at the peace and order council meeting said.
While shabu and marijuana have been in the list of dangerous abused drugs and users could easily be
apprehended, the case of nubain is different, the drug agent at the Kapihan said.
Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called the PDEA to confirm on the entry of nubain as another
abused substance in schools, during the peace council meeting Tuesday.
Valles, who spoke for the PDEA OIC who was on an operation during the meeting said the alternative way to
get to the users or pushers is to get a local ordinance passed so agents would have the legal backing when
they accost nubain users.
At the Kapihan, PDEA relayed that the city has gone to the point of holding a public hearing as a requisite for
the passing of the city ordinance against the substance.
Upon that same information and feeling helpless against the new substance, Governor Edgar Chatto promised
he would urge the provincial sanggunian to do the same and pass a provincial ordinance regulating nubain and
other dangerous substances not listed yet in the country’s banned drugs. (racPIABohol)
by magnolia_eic | Nov 13, 2010 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
WHY is it that we catch only the small fish while the big fish elude?
The trick question that Loay Mayor and LMP President Rosemarie Imboy posed authorities into
enforcing laws on drugs and illegal numbers game elicited varied reactions from members of the
Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting Tuesday.
Camp Dagohoy police chief and PPOC regular member reasoned out that aside from the fact that
cops could not be choosy on whom to apprehend, it is these small bet collectors that are more
visible.
PSSupt. Constantino Barot said illegal numbers game financiers have become so discreet and would
usually go great lengths to make sure no overt evidence links them to the operations.
Meanwhile, at the Talakayan Sa Isyung Pulis held in Clarin the following day, police officers in the
town admit that the fact that local cops are already identified by the operators or pushers, it makes it
doubly hard to get them into doing something stupid.
The issue resurfaced as the public has noted the resurgence of swertres, one that pushed people to
believe that indeed, the cessation a usual happening when a new provincial director wants to make
his presence felt.
PSSUpt. Baro however insisted that he has continued to issue orders to keep the town police
elements in constant operations to deny swertres workers from gaining the usual confidence.
Just keep the pressure and the people will know that we are on an honest to goodness campaign to
discourage those people involved to continue their operation, he said in a talk.
Even Clarin Mayor Allen Rey Piezas has to admit that swertres has resurged in Clarin.
Clarin, he said was one of the 22 Bohol towns which earlier signed a declaration of their being
swertres free, a document signed by the mayor, local government operations officer and in some
towns, including representatives from the church.
When he noticed the resurgence of the gambling in his town, he accordingly called his police chief to
give the mandate anew to keep the illegal numbers game off the town.
Many people said that the illegal operations of swertres hinge on three persons, the mayor, the chief
of police and the operator himself. (racPIABohol)
