By Redjie Cawis and
Jean Samillano
LA
TRINIDAD, Benguet -- The opening of roads brings development, but there
is also downside that may have serious repercussions.
Philippine
Drug Enforcement Agency – Cordillera regional director Ronald Allan
Ricardo said transport of drugs particularly shabu and marijuana going in
and out of the Cordillera region was made easier through
expressways.
Dati
dumadaan ang mga suppliers sa Manila North Road or the Mac Arthur Highway
peron gayon napabilis na ang travel more through NLEX (North Luzon
Expressway), SCTEX (Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway)and TPLEX(Tarlac- Pangasinan
Expressway) from Manila going to the provinces sa Cordillera at sa iba pang
lugar,” Ricardo told the Regional Peace
and Order Council.
Drug
peddlers, he said, have faster access to drugs particularly shabu which
are distributed in Cordileta provinces in same manner marijuana from the
provinces of Benguet, Kalinga and Mountain Province are also transported
to Manila and other areas in the lowlands easier.
Shabu,
according to Ricardo, is now the number one drug of choice in the
Cordillera. There is reportedly no shabu manufacturing facility in the
region so supplies come from other areas.
“Traffickers
of shabu and marijuana products are more organized now and most employ new
means in transporting drugs,” he added..
Ricardo
said they were not saying development of roads was bad. “It’s
just roads made easier access of drugs in and out of
the region and creating additional work for PDEA
particularly on intelligence gathering.
Meanwhile,
the PDEA disclosed a total of 114 barangays in the Cordillera were
drug-affected.
PDEA
is reportedly on lookout for 194 drug personalities in the region.
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