READ: Equipment for shabu mass-production seized in Pampanga.

Quoting crime laboratory officers, Senior Supt. Rodolfo Recomono Jr says the apparatus found inside the illegal drugs laboratory can produce 100 kilos or more shabu per day

SHABU LAB. PDEA chemists and personnel inspect the industrial distillation setup. Photo by Jun Malig.

PAMPANGA, Philippines – A clandestine illegal drugs laboratory that had the potential to produce 100 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) per day was discovered by local officials and policemen in a remote village at the foot of Mt. Arayat on Thursday, September 22.

Arayat town mayor Emmanuel Alejandrino said he was with a team of policemen, sanitation officers, and fire protection officers when they tried to inspect the gated and fenced property in Barangay Lacquios.

“But when the two Chinese-looking men inside saw us, they quickly ran and jumped over the high concrete fence at the back of the compound,” he said.

Policemen tried to pursue them but since they had to go around the fenced compound, they lost the suspects in the bushes.

The mayor and his team had to use ladders to gain entry into the compound. 

Inside the property, they were shocked to see expensive-looking equipment and related machines for the mass production of shabu, prompting them to immediately coordinate with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Region 3 and the provincial police.

PDEA Region III information officer Glen Guillermo told Rappler the machines and equipment inventoried by the agency inside the compound include a combustion tower setup, a diesel-powered power generator, one industrial chiller, a set of power controllers, 7 units of industrial distillation setup, and a reaction mixer.

Pampanga provincial police director Senior Supt. Rodolfo Recomono Jr. told reporters that a gas chromatograph machine was also discovered inside the compound and was placed under the custody of the police crime laboratory.

“This gas chromatograph, according to the crime lab, determines the purity or quality of shabu, the finished product. It is now in the custody of the crime lab,” he said.

Quoting crime laboratory officers, Recomono said the apparatus found inside the illegal drugs laboratory can produce 100 kilos or more shabu per day.

DISTILLATION SETUP. PDEA chemists and personnel inspect the industrial distillation setup. Photo from Jun Malig

“This shabu laboratory is bigger than the one discovered in Camiling, Tarlac a few years ago. It could be the biggest clandestine shabu lab in the Philippines. The syndicate responsible for establishing this lab might have thought that it would not be discovered since it is located at the foot of the mountain and is surrounded by piggeries and poultries,” he said.

The police official theorized that the apparatus had already undergone “dry-run” production of shabu, saying that watery shabu residues were found from the machines.

But chemists from PDEA-Region 3 said they did not find any residue for shabu production inside the apparatus they inventoried.

Mayor Alejandrino, also known as “Kumander Bon” when he was still the supreme leader of the Hukbong Magpapalaya ng Bayan (HMB), expressed sadness and anger over the establishment of a large shabu production facility in his town.

“It’s saddening and shocking to find out that in my own town there is a laboratory that can supply the entire country with shabu. We are glad that this was discovered. May this serve as warning to those who plan to set-up similar facilities in my town. Pasensyahan na lang tayo,” he said.

They mayor said municipal records show that the compound was supposed to be used as a hog farm.

“Last year, somebody applied for a permit for piggery but that person no longer came back to the municipal hall. We decided to inspect this place for compliance with fire and sanitation rules and regulations as a way to implement the marching order of Governor (Lilia) Pineda and Vice Governor (Dennis) Pineda to check all those who applied for piggery and poultry permit. That’s why I had with me Bureau of Fire Protection and health office personnel when we came here,” he disclosed.

He said the two residential buildings and the covered court inside the compound and the high concrete fence were constructed just a year ago.

“This area was being used by farmers to plant vegetables. We got information that it is being leased by the Chinese-looking men, although we still have no idea who is leasing it to them. Probably the lease is only about P10,000 a month. Lease rates here in very cheap because of its remote location,” he said.

Alejandrino said they learned from residents of Lacquios village that different kinds of brand new-looking vehicles were seen going in and out of the compound.

“That’s why we have decided to check it out. But the two Chinese guys escaped. I believe they are Chinese because the food they left in the kitchen were Chinese food and all the equipment we saw here are all made in China,” he said.

Recomono said they plan to interview residents of the village to find out the identity of the people who established the shabu laboratory.

As of publish time, pursuit operations, including the establishment of police check-points, were being done to arrest the two men who escaped from the shabu laboratory.

SOURCE: RAPPLER

READ: Duterte says he doesn’t care about ratings agencies.

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday he does not care about credit rating agencies after debt-watcher Standard and Poor’s warned that his bloody war on drugs and tough rhetoric raised questions on the predictability of the country’s economic policies.

The US-based S&P maintained its investment grade ratings on the Philippines’ sovereign debt but warned that an upgrade in the next two years was “unlikely.”

“Tapos sabihin nitong mga BB plus, credit. Wala akong pakialam sa inyo [And they raise this BB plus, credit. I don’t care about you],” he said.

The Philippines has a BBB rating from S&P. It also enjoys investment grade status with Moody’s Investor Service and Fitch Ratings.

An investment grade rating means the country can sell government securities to a wider pool of investors, giving it a better shot at raising funds for sorely-needed development projects.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said on Wednesday that contrary to S&P’s observation, Duterte has been “loud and clear” on his policy statements.

The debt-watcher’s assessment on the country is “quite fair at the moment,” Mike Enriquez, chief investment officer of Sun Life Financial Philippines told ANC’s “Market Edge with Cathy Yang” on Thursday.

Investors are “watching closely” whether Duterte can implement his 10-point plan to sustain the momentum of one of Asia’s fastest growing economies, Enriquez said.

SOURCE: ABS-CBN

WATCH: Lawmaker: House Bilibid probe limited to ‘De Lima perspective’.

House committee on justice member Rodrigo Abellanosa expresses frustration over the Bilibid drug trade hearing.

 









SOURCE:RAPPLER

READ: Showdown at the top of Philippines politics: What you need to know.

(CNN)-The Philippines has been gripped by a political bout between the President, his biggest rival, with a special appearance by former world champion Manny Pacquiao.

Last week, Senator Leila De Lima called a hitman to testify before lawmakers that while, as mayor, President Rodrigo Duterte ran a "death squad" whose hundreds of victims included a justice department official who

Duterte's office has denied all accusations against him.

His supporters succeeded this week in dumping De Lima from her role on the inquiry, as Duterte continued to loudly defend his anti-drug war. On Tuesday he said he would tell EU officials who had criticized him "f**k you!"

If all that sounds crazy... we haven't even got started.

De Lima removed

On Monday, De Lima was removed as chair of the Justice and Human Rights Committee by a vote in the Senate led by Manny Pacquiao.

Critics have described her removal as a "reprisal" for her role in investigating Duterte's anti-drug war, which has so far claimed hundreds of lives amid accusations of extrajudicial killings by police.

Following her ouster, De Lima herself has become the subject of an inquiry held by the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Duterte's allies.

Wait, Manny Pacquiao?

Yes, the former world champion boxer turned politician led the charge to unseat De Lima, saying the committee was being used to "pin down the administration."

"It's not our intention to stop the investigation," Pacquiao told CNN. "(But) it's about investigation, not singling out one person."

He said self-professed hitman Edgar Matobato would be invited to continue testifying, but argued that there were numerous "inconsistencies in his testimony" against Duterte.

Pacquiao, a rising political star who is often discussed as a future Presidential candidate, is a firm ally of Duterte -- "he's a good friend of mine, from way back" -- and told CNN he supported the President's anti-drug policy.

Duterte vs. De Lima

While De Lima has long sought to have Duterte officially investigated over alleged death squad killings in Davao, and rights groups have denounced his apparent "impunity," he has stepped up his attacks on her in recent weeks.

In a speech in August, Duterte called De Lima an "immoral woman" and a "robber," accusing her of having an affair with her driver and using him to collect drug payoffs.

"If I were De Lima, ladies and gentlemen, I'd hang myself," he said.

For her part, De Lima accused the President of throwing everything but the kitchen sink at her. "I'm still waiting for the sink."

What are the accusations against De Lima?

Flanked by armored police and granted immunity by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, former drug dealer Herbert Colanggo told the House committee Tuesday that the New Bilibid Prison was turned into a "Little Las Vegas" during De Lima's stint in the Justice Department under former President Benigno Aquino.

Colanggo and two other witnesses testified that they delivered millions of pesos to De Lima or her staff, in return for political favors.

How did she react?

In a statement Tuesday, De Lima denounced the hearings as a "blatant exercise in harassment and persecution."

She condemned the disclosure of her cellphone number and home address, both of which were provided by witnesses as supposed proof that they knew her.

"(I have been) bombarded by text messages ... and phone calls from unknown persons, threatening me, harassing me, calling me the vilest of names," she said.

What about Duterte?

The President -- who De Lima investigated when she was head of the Commission on Human Rights and he was Davao City mayor -- said he was De Lima's "favorite whipping boy."

Speaking to supporters in Davao Tuesday, Duterte joked about the accusations against him.

"Yes, I kill, that's true, but not that many. 1700? Maybe more like 1,004," he said.

He said that when he was mayor, "it was very simple. I said get out of here -- if you're into drugs, murder for hire -- get out of here. This is true, I will kill you. And in the process I killed many upon my direction. There's no problem there."

So what happens now?

According to Pacquiao and new Human Rights Committee head Richard Gordon, the investigation into extrajudicial killings will proceed without De Lima.

"De Lima was not ousted because of Matobato. She was ousted because many of the people of the Senate felt that objectivity was being lost," Gordon told CNN Philippines.

He added that Matobato would be included in the next hearing, but would be asked only to testify on the recent spate of extrajudicial killings, not past incidents or allegations about the Davao Death Squad.

SOURCE: CNN INTERNATIONAL