‘Drug war, local execs’ slays linked by unscrupulous people’

MANILA, Philippines — Unscrupulous individuals are using the government’s war on illegal drugs to make it appear that the killings of some politicians are state-sponsored, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Aaron Aquino said yesterday.

“These assassins are now executing their plan to assassinate these politicians,” said Aquino at a news conference in Quezon City. “They are taking advantage of the situation so that it could look as if it is a state-sponsored killing.”

Aquino advised politicians receiving death threats to be aware of their surroundings. He added that the Philippine National Police should also heighten their security to prevent another incident from happening.

He belied reports that PDEA’s narco list containing the names of 6,000 persons is a kill list.

Aquino said based on their latest data, at least 87 vice mayors and governors are included in the narco list.

He previously stated that 96 narco politicians are in the list but upon verification, they found out that some have been arrested and killed in police operations or by unnamed assassins. There were others who died of natural causes, he said.

Aquino said there is no way the government is involved in the recent killings of politicians, noting that they have been conducting adjudication process to hear the sides of people suspected to be involved in the drug trade.

“The government will not do that. Why would the government do that?” he said when asked if the killings are state sponsored.

Safekeeping of evidence

Meanwhile, the Commission on Audit (COA) has expressed concern over the insufficient security and safety protocols being implemented by PDEA to ensure proper safekeeping of more than P6.795 billion worth of illegal drugs it currently has in its custody.

In a 2017 report released last Friday, COA said PDEA currently has P6,795,926,273 worth of seized or confiscated dangerous drugs in its custody, urging the agency’s Documentation and Evidence Division (DED) under its Laboratory Services Department to improve its controls on safety and security.

Records show that solid methamphetamine accounts for the biggest chunk of illegal drugs now under safekeeping at P6.398 billion.

Cocaine comes in second at P196.575 million, followed by liquid methamphetamine worth P184.296 million, ecstasy at P13.640 million and marijuana at P2.417 million.

Accompanied by the chief of the DED and the chief of the agency’s examination division, state auditors said they inspected the laboratory used for forensic examination of seized or confiscated dangerous drugs, which is adjacent to the evidence room. 

“We observed that there were no fire exhaustion materials similar to water sprinkler in the laboratory and that there was soot in the ceiling just outside the door,” the audit team said. 

“These make the area susceptible to fire, which can easily spread to the adjacent storage facilities for dangerous drugs,” state auditors added.

The COA report also noted that there were no surveillance cameras installed in the laboratory, which are vital in the early detection of accidents and or risks such as fire and forced entry, especially that the laboratory is the entrance way to the storage area.

State auditors said they were not granted access to the evidence room or storage facilities because of the sensitivity of substances kept in the area. 

However, the audit team observed that it was protected with an iron grille gate with another wooden door behind it.

The team was told by the DED chief that after the wooden door are two more iron gates, making four consecutive entrances secured with 11 locks and a wire mesh as extra preventive measure.

 The DED chief added that there are also night vision cameras inside the storage area, which are directly connected to the Plans and Operations Service that operates on a 24/7 basis.

State auditors said they were not able to verify such security measures but noted that behind the rear wall of the evidence room is a multi-level parking area, which makes it vulnerable to forced entry. 

The COA report further observed that the panel control for the humidifier that regulates the temperature inside the evidence room is located outside.

In a press release in February last year, state auditors said PDEA reported that it has improved its inventory and tracking system of seized drug, as Laboratory Services records the movement of drugs held as evidence from the time these are seized or confiscated until their disposal, through the use of accountable forms and logbooks.

The audit team said they requested a walkthrough of the process, via document verification, to determine compliance with required procedures and they were presented one folder as sample. 

State auditors, however, said such was not enough for them to form a conclusion because they were informed that for most of the documents needed, prior approval and clearance from various top officials must first be secured.  – With Michael Punongbayan