Why is there no effort to trace shabu suppliers?

The Philippine National Police’ (PNP) Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) rounded up 319 drug pushers and users during the raid of Pasig City’s "Tiangge ng Shabu".

The mystifying demolition of the tiange ordered by Pasig Mayor Vicente Eusebio, however, erased clues and evidences the police needed, prompting the PDEA to file a complaint against the city mayor.

But all these seem to have distracted the public from asking who the shabu supplier or suppliers were. Surely, a major commercial venture like that could not have existed for two years without an organization. There must also be enforcers who see to it that "secrecy and discipline"are maintained.

But while everybody is bashing Eusebio, nobody seems to focus on the more essential issue: Who were behind the organized marketing of the prohibited drugs? And, inevitably of course, who were the suppliers?

The funny thing is that the Pasig police officers and personnel seem to have washed their hands in the incident, crowing instead about their "accomplishment" in arresting some users as proof that they were aggressive in their anti-drugs drive.

Oh, well, that was one of the most baffling things that happened recently. Drug laboratories were raided, big amounts of prohibited drugs seized and lowly employees of these laboratories were arrested. But the big bosses behind these operations were not arrested.

Of course, there must be major figures involved in these multi-billion-peso activities but no one seems determined to identify the supplier/suppliers. There were too many people arrested in the Pasig raid and anyone of them could have given the police a clue on who were supplying them with the prohibited drugs.

Oh well, c’est la vie in the Philippines.

A rich haul for Budol-budol gang

The big story in Bacolod is that a 79-year-old prominent lady lawyer fell victim to members of the so-called Budol-budol gang, which carted away an estimated P3 million worth of cash and jewelry.

Lawyer Luz Dato-Lacson is one of the best practicing legal brains of the city and Negros Occidental and the most unlikely victim of swindlers.

The swindlers, by the way, were reportedly men in their 60s, not the usual gang members who were barely out of their teens. One of them was a mestizo who introduced himself to Mrs. Lacson as a ship captain on vacation. He also told her that while she was busy shopping at the Burgos North Market, that he had a doctor-daughter married to an Australian millionaire who was interested in investing in the Philippines. "He seemed to know members of my family," said the lady lawyer.

Mrs. Lacson then informed the mestizo that she has a client interested in selling a P700-million property at the Bacolod Shopping Center area.

While they were talking, another person, also in his 60s, asked them for help in buying pumps for his fishing boats.

The second man was carrying a black shoulder bag that reportedly contained P1.8 million in cash. The latter further claimed that he did not know to get a safety deposit box and asked the lawyer to assist him and mentioned too that he needed a lawyer.

Later, she went to the bank to withdraw P150,000 for the wages of the people repairing her house. But she also withdrew all the contents of her safety deposit box and put them put in a shoe bag.

Anyway, the story ended up with the lawyer losing everything she had put inside the bag, including her two-carat diamond ring and two bank books. Plus, of course her Nokia 6610 cellular phone and the Nokia 5110 cellphone of her helper, Melissa Valenzuela.

Mrs. Lacson said she must have been hypnotized.

Superintendent Pedro Merced of the PNP, however, seem to doubt this. But on Thursday evening, friends who have all been victims of the Budol-budol gang narrated exactly the same experience of being hypnotized by the swindlers.

Mrs. Sally Gonzales said a retired school official told her that she just could not imagine how she was convinced to withdraw all her savings in the bank and hand them over to the "swindlers."

Another said an acquaintance, a prominent Bacolod matron, was discouraged by her helper against parting with her jewelry and cash. "But she insisted in doing it apparently in a daze. She later recounted that she was not aware of what she was doing.

Of course, one knows that these glib talkers undertake a thorough research on the background of their prospective victims. But the come-on is always a "quick profit or lucrative returns" for an investment.

This news was followed by the dramatic story of a balikbayan who was allegedly held up at the Bacolod Reclamation Area (BREDCO) Wednesday while responding to the call of nature. The balikbayan ended up being arrested by the police and promptly landed in the front pages of local dailies.

Her companion and cousin, Arminda Salmodin Abubakar, alias Armina Gillermo, told the police chief that they spent all their money in Boracay and not really taken by holduppers.

The alleged balikbayan, Marlyn Bahi-an Saniel, who claimed she was Myca Kentanar, said she lost P28,000 and $1,000 in cash plus personal belongings to two holduppers last Wednesday. But a police check with the immigration bureau and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) demolished her claim that she was a balikbayan.

She was jailed and the police intend to file charges against her for perjury and for using a fictitious name.

The 17-year-old-boy who was nabbed by the police as one of the two holduppers was released from detention and now plans to file charges against Saniel and Abubakar.

To further complicate things for the duo, victims of Budol-budol were invited to the police office to identify them if they were the same persons who had duped them.

Full court press for Javier

Antique Gov. Sally Zaldivar-Perez and the Antique Provincial Historical Council have launched a month-long full court press to honor assassinated former governor Evelio Javier, starting with the commemoration of his 20th death anniversary last Feb. 11.

One of the highlights of the forthcoming celebrations will be the musical drama "The Life and Times of Evelio Javier" in Kinaray-a, which will be presented to the public on Feb. 25 at the EBJ Freedom Park during the EDSA I anniversary.

Perez said the provincial government is also sponsoring a contest for children to honor Javier. Now, this is one that could spur the youngsters to come up with their best poems and songs in honor of Javier.

"The Life and Times of Evelio Javier" is produced by the Paranubliun, funded by the National Commission on Arts and Culture (NCCA) and promises to popularize the ideals of Javier.

Last Feb. 10, the NCCA chairman opened the EBJ museum. The province also launched the Evelio Javier Leadership Award "because we are looking among your people who are intelligent and good leaders to be recognized."

In short, according to Perez, the tribute to Javier is not just a one-shot deal but a continuing program that aims to educate the people of Antique and Western Visayas on the life of Javier, what he stood for, and how he gave up the last drop of his blood for the country.

Sugar prices inch up

There’s no way anybody could further tamper with sugar prices. Market forces continue to exert pressure on millgate prices which climbed up to an average of P1,210.7 per Lkg. for raw sugar and P1,169.74 for "A" or US sugar.

That gave sugar producers a composite price of P1,190.31 per Lkg., slightly higher than last week’s composite price of P1,130.19.

Asociacion de Hacienderos de Silay-Saravia of the Hawaiian Philippines and the Victorias Milling Company Thursday rejected the bid price of P1,167.29 for their "A" sugar but sold their "B" or domestic sugar for P1,212.10 per Lkg. The Planters Association of Silay-Saravia also rejected the bid for their "A" sugar for P1,167.29 but accepted the bid for P1,212.10 for domestic sugar.

The Negros Oriental Planters Association of Bais City disposed of their domestic sugar at P1,230.01 compared to last week’s bid of P115.20. NOPA of URSUMCO received a slightly lower price for P1,226.11 for its "B" sugar, up from the previous week’s P1,170 per Lkg. NOPA (Bais) sold it’s a sugar at P1,155.15 per Lkg., just a bit lower than the previous week’s P1,170.88. NOPA (Ursumco) also had a slight downward trend for its sugar from P1,170.88 to only P1158.88.

The Planters Association of Southern Occidental Negros (PASON) posted a slight gain from its "A" sugar from P116.57 to P1,170 per Lkg. and also posted the same gains for its domestic sugar from P118.57 to P1,221.

After the initial furor created by the government’s effort to pull down prices, the situation had settled and only slight increases prodded by market forces have been monitored.