PDEA receives lab equipment from US

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has received laboratory equipment from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration to boost its capability to examine illegal drugs.

The equipment include a unit of Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometry and two units of Chromatograph/Flame Ionization Detector.

 PDEA director general Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac Jr. said the laboratory equipment would be a big help in examining dangerous drugs.

“These analytical laboratory equipment will help arresting officers establish a reasonable ground to prove that the arrested persons have the physical signs, symptoms or visible manifestation of being under the influence of dangerous drugs,” Cacdac said.

 He said a confirmatory test using these laboratory equipment is an accepted method for establishing that drug evidence will be valid in courts.

 The equipment, which were delivered to PDEA Laboratory Service on June 14, were formally turned over to the PDEA by Brian Goldbeck, Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States embassy, in a simple ceremony at the PDEA headquarters in Quezon City yesterday.