Pubdate: Sat, 01 Jan 2005
Source: Philippine Star (Philippines)
Copyright: PhilSTAR Daily Inc. 2005
Contact:  http://www.philstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/622
Author: Non Alquitran
Cited: Philippine Dangerous Drugs Board http://www.ddb-ph.com
Cited: Philippine National Police http://www.pnp.gov.ph
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

NOT ENOUGH REHAB CENTERS FOR 3.4-M DRUG DEPENDENTS, SAYS AID-SOTF

The shortage of drug rehabilitation centers is hampering the
government's effort to rehabilitate the country's 3.4 million drug
addicts, police said yesterday.

Deputy Director General Ricardo de Leon, head of the police
Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOTF), said they
are slowly addressing the problem by asking Congress to fund the
construction of additional drug treatment facilities nationwide.

De Leon said records of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) revealed that
the country has 63 government and privately-run drug rehabilitation
centers, but these facilities can only accommodate some 9,000 of the
country's 3.4 million drug dependents.

"We want Congress to allocate funds for the construction of additional
treatment facilities in each province and selected cities nationwide,"
De Leon said.

He emphasized that the construction of more drug rehab centers in 17
regions of the country would result in treatment of an additional
10,000 drug addicts.

"We will not be completely addressing the problem, but what is
important is we are slowly moving toward the right direction," the
AID-SOTF chief said.

De Leon claimed that AID-SOTF started focusing on the rehabilitation
aspect of the drug problem after they were able to neutralize at least
60 percent of the shabu supply in the country.

Since its inception in June 2003, AID-SOTF, under the leadership of
now Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Edgar
Aglipay, shut down 29 shabu laboratories and warehouses nationwide.

The effort led to the confiscation of some P22 billion worth of shabu,
raw materials and equipment used in the manufacture of the illegal
drug.

During Aglipay's watch, President Arroyo released a P500-million
budget for AID-SOTF's war against drug syndicates.

In his recent tour of the provinces, De Leon said reports reaching his
office showed that the price of shabu tripled or quadrupled in Davao,
Cebu and Metro Manila.

He said the price of shabu was pegged in Metro Manila streets at
P3,500 per gram, P3,800 in Cebu and P4,200 in Davao provinces.

De Leon credited the reduction of the shabu supply in the country to
AID-SOTF's relentless campaign against illegal drugs and the
cooperation it established with other Asian countries.

But the AID-SOTF chief bewailed the fact that his office is now
running on a P1-million monthly budget which, he admitted, is not
enough to battle the big time drug syndicates. 
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