Illegal drugs, a 21st century problem — Catapang

Though Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang is unperturbed by the illegal drugs problem, he still recognizes the fact that it is a 21st century problem.

With almost all of the bigtime drug lords including foreign nationals already in jail, something still be done, according to Catapang, to curb or monitor their transactions outside of the penitentiaries.

"There are 300 foreign nationals currently at the NBP that include not only Filipinos but Chinese, Canadian, and Americans," he said.

Catapang hopes to generate information from these foreign nationals through an interrogation system that would show how they got embroiled in the illegal drugs trade or how they became members of the so-called drug cartels.

"We want to help the drug enforcement agencies that is why we are planning to develop an interrogation system so we can know how they came here to our country. We want to get information how they operate while they are here," he said.

The BuCor chief said the country is turning global but the problem is the country is very porous and drug lords can just hire international ships to deliver illegal drugs right into the country's piers.

"They are very daring by hiring ships to transport illegal drugs right inside our piers but with the help of other drug enforcement agencies, we hope to find a solution to this problem," he said.

Catapang said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has given him a marching order to coordinate closely with various drug enforcement agencies and this is what they are doing at present to do away with the connotation that BuCor is the middleman in drug transaction.

"We are turned into a punching bag whenever there is a budget hearing because they said drug transactions happen inside the jail facilities perpetrated by jailed drug lords using their contacts outside," he said.

However, Catapang said they accept that fact that the decision to transfer bigtime drug lords in Mindoro to deprive them of communications may have backfired after they managed to corrupt some guards there.

"In Mindoro facility there is no signal there but they are trying to smuggle satellite phones by corrupting some guards so we have to be strict with them. Sen. Tolentino has told me to be three steps ahead of them because these drug lords are very innovative," he said.

Catapang mentioned that Secretary Remulla has told him, "Jun let's make the anti-drug drive synchronized, let us put a strong fight against drug trafficking."