Cocaine RP entry alarming -Sotto

Senate Majority Leader Vicente C. Sotto III urges for a more intensified campaign against illegal drugs following intelligence report from an International Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association (INEOA) member that a big international drug syndicate has eyed the Philippines as having a growing market for cocaine.

Sotto expressed alarm over the highly classified report which coincides with the series of interceptions and seizures of the dreaded dangerous drug in Samar and Davao.

Sotto stresses that government agencies like Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the reactivation of Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) nationwide should work together to strengthen their campaign against illegal drugs, especially shabu and cocaine.

"We have more than 7,100 islands which make our shoreline longer than the shoreline of United States of America and the problem is, our coast guard has inadequate equipment and personnel to guard our entire territory. The Philippines is a well-known transshipment point of illegal drugs and therefore all agencies and LGUs should be on the lookout," Sotto said.

Sotto believes that the reactivation of BADAC will play a vital role in the fight against illegal drugs since all islands in the country have barangays.

Sotto, during his term as chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), wrote a letter to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for the reactivation of BADAC in all cities and municipalities nationwide.

"The campaign on illegal drugs should be pro-active. Drug syndicates are also constantly changing their strategies on how to make these illegal drugs easily available," Sotto pointed out.