Mr. Hung pinpoints involvement in shabu making of 7 co-accused

Hung Chin Chang, also known as Simon Lao-one of the 14 accused in the shabu laboratory case, pinpointed at seven of his co-accused as among those he had worked with in the manufacture of shabu in Mandaue City.

The 42-year-old Hung testified for the prosecution in yesterday's resumption of the controversial shabu lab case hearing in the Regional Trial Court-branch 28, as part of the prosecution's motion to discharge him as a state witness.

Some of the defense counsels opposed to the testimonies of Hung, as they argued that he was no longer presented in court to determine if the prosecution's motion to make him a state witness could be granted.

The defense contended that Hung's testimonies already corroborated the testimonies of other prosecution witnesses already presented before.

Hung was apparently unfazed of the defense lawyers' opposition against his persistent testimony that it was Calvin Tan who financed the operation and ordered him to establish the laboratory.

But Hung's lawyer Danilo Yap countered that Hung was the only person, among the 14 accused, who knew the ins and outs of the shabu manufacturing operations and the only one who had direct knowledge about the establishment of the laboratory.

Hung pointed at co-accused Calvin Tan as the alleged financier, and Joseph Yu, Liu Bo, Tao Fei, Bao Xiafu, Lin Li Ku, Liew Kam Song, Siew Kin Weng and Wu Tiao Ye, as those allegedly involved in the illegal operation that was busted in a raid on September 24, 2004.

Hung alleged that Calvin Tan sent Tao and Liu to Mandaue City to assemble the machinery that would be used in the shabu manufacturing while Bao, Lin, Liew, Siew and Wu were sent there to cook "ice", another term for shabu.

Hung, who spoke Fookien, told the court that Calvin Tan instructed him about whom to contact for the shipment of machinery parts for the laboratory, and the actual operation of the laboratory in barangay Umapad.

Lawyer Charleson Jeffrey Yu, who was designated as the official Chinese interpreter of the Supreme Court, interpreted Hung's testimonies.

Hung admitted that the shabu manufacturing went full swing inside a warehouse in Mandaue City on September 19, 2004, or only five days before law enforcers, led by the Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency, raided the place.

Calvin Tan was indicted as the alleged financier of the two clandestine shabu laboratories in barangays Pakna-an and Umapad in Mandaue City.

He has been in jail for over a year already since his extradition from Hong Kong, and the court already denied his petition for bail.

The busted shabu laboratory in barangay Umapad was the biggest shabu laboratory found so far in Southeast Asia. Seized in the raid were 675 kilos of shabu worth P1.5 billion and enough chemicals to produce 15 tons more of the banned substance. - Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon