On Saturday morning, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents seized 3 kilograms of shabu worth P40 million from a Peter Chu, who was allegedly operating a shabu laboratory at Room 403, Building 725, Alonso St., Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Radio dzBB quoted the PDEA as saying Chu was a suspected member of the Chinese triad Tiger Group.

Several hours before the Sta. Cruz raid, police arrested at three Chinese – Vicente Lim, a.k.a. Hokkien, 43; chemist John Sy, 40; and Ang Hok – in a raid Friday night on a drug laboratory in Barangay San Isidro in Cainta, Rizal.

Chief Superintendent Perfecto Palad, police head for the Calabarzon region, said some P60 million worth of shabu were seized during the raid.

Palad said all three suspects, who turned out to be from Fookien in China, were brought to the Rizal Provincial Police Office for questioning, while the shabu was brought to the criminal laboratory.

Palad, citing initial reports reaching him, said the raided laboratory in Rizal was capable of producing some 12 kilograms of shabu a day.

Last Thursday, police also arrested a Chinese-Filipino, a Chinese, and a Taiwanese and seized some P200 million worth of shabu during a raid on a laboratory at the boundary of Manila and Navotas.

PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago told GMA News on Saturday that these “kitchen-type operations" were the actually the most problematic types of shabu labs because although small they are rapidly multiplying.

Chinese arestado sa sinalakay na mini shabu lab sa Binondo

Arestado nitong Sabado ang isang Chinese na pinapaniwalaang chemist ng isang laboratoryo ng shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) sa Binondo, Maynila.

Sa isinagawang operasyon ng mga operatiba ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), nahuli si Peter Chu sa umano’y shabu laboratory sa Room 403, Building 725, Alonso St., Sta.. Cruz, Manila.

Tinatayang tatlong kilo ng pinapaniwalaang shabu na nagkakahaga ng P40 milyon ang nakuha sa sinalakay na bahay. Nakuha rin ang ilang kagamitan na sinasabing ginagamit sa paggawa ng shabu.

Ayon sa isang opisyal ng PDEA, si Chu ay miyembro umano ng isang Chinese triad na kung tawagin ay “Tiger Group."

“Usually yung mga chemist [ng drugs] talaga foreign nationals, Chinese, ganun," ayon kay PDEA director general Dionisio Santiago.

Kasama sa ginawang pagsalakay sa mini-shabu lab sa Binondo sina Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Ilocos Norte Rep. Roque Ablan, Jr., chairman ng House committee on dangerous drugs, at Manila Police District Station 11 Police Superintendent Nelson Yabut.

Sinabi sa isang ulat na nagpalit ng taktika ang mga gumagawa ng shabu na umuupa na lamang ng maliliit na lugar para sa mas maliit na produksyon ng ilegal na droga.

Suspected ‘Triad’ chemist arrested in Manila drug lab raid

Government operatives on Saturday arrested a man suspected of operating a methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) laboratory in Manila.

Radio dzBB reported that the suspect Peter Chu was arrested when government operatives raided the suspected shabu laboratory at Room 403, Building 725, Alonso St., Sta.. Cruz, Manila.

Another radio report said raiders seized about three kilograms of shabu and materials used in manufacturing the banned drug.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) was quoted as saying in the report that Chu was a member of the Chinese triad Tiger Group.

“Usually yung mga chemist [ng drugs] talaga foreign nationals, Chinese, ganun [Usually the chemists of illegal drugs are really foreign nationals like the Chinese]," said PDEA director general Dionisio Santiago.

Also leading the raid were Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, House dangerous drugs committee chair and Ilocos Norte Rep. Roque Ablan, Jr., and Manila Police District Station 11 Police Superintendent Nelson Yabut.

Tens of thousands schoolchildren march vs. illegal drugs

Tens of thousands of public school children, accompanied by their teachers and parents, marched Saturday afternoon in Manila in support of the nationwide campaign against illegal drugs.

Dubbed Grand Batang Iwas Droga (BIDA), the march took off at 1 p.m. from the Cultural Center of the Philippines grounds and proceeded to the Quirino Gandstand in Luneta, where a program and free concert featuring some of the country’s hottest bands and young stars were held.

Organizers hope the number of marchers would be big enough to get recognition in the Guinness World Book of Records.

First launched in 2003 with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo leading the oath-taking of thousands of children into the BIDA Kids Club, the project is a massive information campaign that aims to educate children between the ages of six and 12-years-old on the dangers of substance abuse.

It was spearheaded by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) and the BIDA Foundation with support from various government agencies, local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs). It is also supported by the Department of Education (DepEd), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).

Many celebrities also joined the march. So did Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim.

Giving a sort of a pep talk at the Quirino Grandstand, the 80-year-old former police general explained that children need not experiment with illegal drugs because doing so would get them hooked to the habit.

BIDA Foundation corporate secretary Josephine Evangelista explained that the Grand Bida March is all about creating awareness. “We want to grab the public’s attention not only locally but in a global scale. The march is a massive event in which our schoolchildren will play a vital role in leading a battle cry against illegal drugs. Our children want to win this war and this is their venue."

Pagcor Chairman Ephraim C. Genuino, on the other hand, said: “This is the time to take a stand as a nation. By participating in the Grand BIDA March, we do not only show the entire nation, but the whole world that Filipino people are one against the fight versus illegal drugs.".

“Let us work together to make our country a safer place to live. We owe it to our children and to future generations," he added.

Dodie King, Pagcor vice president for corporate communications, said school children were tapped as the prime target of the anti-drugs campaign because they are the future targets of drug traffickers.

“It is our belief that we should educate our kids at a very young age about substance abuse, because if we start teaching them now about their dangers, they will develop “disgust" or “hatred" towards illegal drugs," King said.

The Department of Transportations and Communications (DOTC) provided MRT/LRT rides for all registered participants, while the Department of Public Works and Highways allowed BIDA to make use of their railings apart from providing at least 1,800 volunteers.

Maynilad Water provided free water stations in the area for the participants, while the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) set up booths and provided medical volunteers to provide first-aid.

Apart from the bid to make a mark in Philippine history and to aim for a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records in the category “Largest March against Illegal Drugs," the BIDA march aims to increase awareness on the dangerous effects of illegal drugs and to attract considerable attention, even on an international level and help pave the way for a drug-free Philippines.