Pubdate: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 Source: Manila Times (Philippines) Copyright: 2004, The Manila Times Contact: http://www.manilatimes.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/921 Author: Gene Basilio, Jr., Northern Luzon Bureau DRUG USER KILLS MA IN VIZCAYA KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya - An allegedly drug-influenced son of a former municipal treasurer of this upland town strangled his mother to death on July 19, according to a sketchy police report. The victim was Elena Hufalar, 59, a public-school teacher and wife of a former treasurer of Kasibu. The alleged assailant was Elson Hufalar, who strangled his mother to death in their house in Barangay Poblacion early morning of July 19. Police did not disclose the motive but an investigator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the killing was drug-related. The killing jolted the town and served as a wakeup call that the threat of illegal drugs was already a fact of life in Kasibu, according to Eduardo Balgos Jr., a member of the provincial board, or Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Balgos said life was serene a few years back in this upland town that used to be reached only by jeepneys whose tires were wrapped with chains so they could traverse the muddy road for at least four hours of rough ride from the commercial town of Bambang. Since an all-weather road was constructed, travel time to Kasibu has been reduced to just more than one hour, Balgos said. With its easy accessibility, Kasibu residents have fallen prey to drug dealers, particularly shabu, described as the "poor man's cocaine." Balgos urged local civilian and police officials to work together to stop the drug menace in Kasibu. Otherwise, he warned, the unabated entry of illegal drugs would worsen and lead to more serious consequences like the killing of Hufalar. Balgos said the supply of illegal drugs comes from the town of Bambang. "The proliferation of illegal drugs in Kasibu should be a wakeup call to our police officers to be more serious in their anti-drug campaign," Balgos emphasized, adding: "No one can deny that shabu has already reached Kasibu and there is even one resident who had to be brought to Manila for rehabilitation." - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D