Check private planes, yachts for drugs, PDEA urged

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) was asked yesterday to check private planes and yachts for illegal drugs.

In making the appeal, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, who chairs the House committee on dangerous drugs, said he received information that drug shipments are delivered with the use of private aircraft and vessels.

He said the PDEA, Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation should monitor these shipments and coordinate with the proper agencies in stopping them.

“In fact, we should always keep an eye on them because they are capable of making big shipments of illegal drugs,” he said.

He added that he has made the same appeal to the Department of Transportation, the agency in charge of airports and seaports.

Barbers also urged authorities to include in their monitoring private resorts and similar tourist spots.

He said tourists could be using illegal drugs in these places, which are mostly located far away from police stations and offices of law enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, Barbers said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) should check other tourist destinations where business establishments may have been violating environmental laws similar to what happened in Boracay.

“I’m sure what is happening in Boracay is taking place in other tourist destinations as well. Violation should be stopped now for the sake of our people living in those areas,” he said.

He said the DENR and local officials should make sure that all business establishments in their areas do not cause environmental problems.

However, he lamented that in many areas, developers would not be able to cause damage to the environment without the collusion of officials of both the local government and the DENR.