Over 6000 people take oath as members of Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) today, August 17, 2018, at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City with Davao City Mayor and HNP Chairperson Inday Sara Duterte.

President Rody Duterte joins the event as Keynote Speaker.

Where have 145 kilograms, worth around P2 billion, of confiscated methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu gone?

Mediamen noted yesterday the discrepancy between the figures given by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Bureau of Customs (BoC) on the volume of shabu sealed inside two magnetic lifters seized at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).

In a press statement last 7 August, PDEA announced the seizure of approximately 500 kilograms of shabu with an estimated street value of P4.3 billion at the MICP. The seized substances remain in its possession.

However, the BoC, in filing an official complaint against the consignees of the shipment, stated that only 355 kilograms of shabu, amounting P2.4 billion, were actually confiscated from the lifters.

President Duterte, meanwhile, said in a speech at the mass oathtaking of Hugpong ng Pagbabago members that he is offering a bounty for a dead ninja cop of P5 million “if you bring him to me dead.”

“I’ll give you P5 million, no questions asked,” he added. If the ninja cop is brought alive, the prize will be P10,000, Mr. Duterte said.

The President added he is giving ninja cops, or those who recycle confiscated narcotics, 48 hours to surrender.

It was former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now Bureau of Corrections head Ronald de la Rosa who tagged those involved in drugs recycling as “ninja cops.”

The BoC charged with violation of Section 1401 (Unlawful Importation) in relation to Section 118 (g) (Prohibited Importation), pursuant to Section 4 and 5 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, Vedasio Cabral Baraquel, owner of Vecaba Trading to which the shipment was consigned.

The shipment was supposed to contain door frames but it turned out that two magnetic lifters were actually loaded. Subsequent inspection led to the discovery of the shabu, the BoC statement read. A check with the Customs public information office said the data used in the statement came from PDEA which weighed the seized narcotics while saying the earlier figure was a mere “estimate.”

The discrepancy in the estimate and the figure used in the filing of the case was very substantial to be missed. The huge difference puts into question the credibility of PDEA’s system of estimating drugs haul.

An observer said the “missing” shabu in the conflicting PDEA and BoC figures is equivalent to nearly three sacks of rice.

PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino has credited operatives of PDEA, BoC and the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the bust.

Aquino, however, went on leave yesterday but clarified that he is taking a vacation with his family and that his absence is not due to the controversy on the illegal drugs bust.

“My decision to take a leave was decided six months ago. I’m in the USA now with family for a vacation and class reunion (and will) be back on 29 August,” Aquino said.

He added that his leave of absence began on 15 August and had nothing to do with recent events.

“Those (circulating) news about my forced leave are fake,” he noted.

Aquino said he tasked PDEA Deputy Director General for Administration Ismael Fajardo Jr. to be the agency’s officer-in-charge.