Failure to submit requirements blamed for delay in release of drug reward money

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) yesterday blamed the failure of drug informants to submit requirements for the delay of the release of their reward money.

Assistant Secretary Rodolfo Caisip, PDEA deputy director general, explained that under the Dangerous Drugs Board regulation, "Operation Private Eye" will provide guidelines for granting monetary rewards for persons providing information leading to the apprehension of most wanted drug personalities.

However, Caisip pointed out that the purity of confiscated illegal drugs should be considered in the computation of the necessary reward; the formula being computed reward multiplied by percentage purity of the confiscated illegal drugs as certified by government forensic laboratories.

The PDEA invoked the purity requirement to prevent raiders from diluting their seized illegal drugs and raw materials to claim higher reward money.

Caisip issued the clarification amid complaints by drug informants of the police Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) that the government failed to honor its pledge to reward them.

Since its inception in June 2003, AIDSOTF busted at least 49 shabu laboratories and warehouses and confiscated some P3.8 billion illegal drugs, equipment and raw materials.

Because of the failure of the government to release their reward money, the drug informants are now keeping themselves unavailable to AIDSOTF in the continuing war against drug syndicates.

Caisip said what the drug informants should do is submit results of qualitative laboratory examination on the confiscated illegal drugs, precursors and essential chemicals and the PDEA’s reward committee would immediately deliberate on their reward claim. Caisip also heads the Private Eye secretariat.

In his two-page letter to AIDSOTF commander Director Marcelo Ele Jr., Caisip cited the claim of four AIDSOTF informants, who failed to comply with the required qualitative laboratory examination.

"This agency is referring to your office the claims for reward under Operation Private Eye from informants of PNP-AIDSOTF that have problems with the said provision," said Caisip in his letter.

For his part, Ele directed all AIDSOTF operating units to strictly comply with the PDEA’s requirement so their drug informants would be amply rewarded.

"From now on, we should see to it that personnel from the crime laboratory would be available to conduct tests on confiscated illegal items so the reward claim of our drug informants would be released early," said Ele in his directive.

Ele said he has no objection to the purity requirement of the PDEA to prevent unscrupulous law enforcers from taking advantage of the government’s reward program. — Non Alquitran