Senate minority joins Pacquiao in probe of smuggled P6.8-B ‘shabu’
THE Senate minority bloc joined administration ally, Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao, in seeking an investigation on the reported smuggling of over one ton of “shabu” worth P6.8 billion.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Antonio Trillanes 4th, Paolo Benigno Aquino 4th, Risa Hontiveros and Leila de Lima filed Resolution 849 directing the Blue Ribbon Commitee to investigate how the shabu “shipment” managed to enter the country through the Manila International Container Port (MICP) and slipped through the inspection of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
Pacquiao filed Resolution 843 directing the appropriate committee to conduct an inquiry into the illegal shipment of the P6.8 billion worth of shabu and the apparent “lack of coordination” among the BOC, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Philippine National Police (PNP).
The opposition group noted that in May 2017, a shabu shipment worth P6.4 billion was smuggled into the country through the Port of Manila.
“The repeated incidence of huge shipments of drugs being smuggled to the country and slipping past the inspection of the Bureau of Customs is a wake up call for us to look into the possible malfeasance, misfeasance, and nonfeasance by officials and employees of the bureau that resulted to this huge gaffe,” they said.
“There is a need to urgently investigate the matter immediately and enact necessary to stifle the persistent malfeasance, misfeasance, and nonfeasance of government officials,” Pacquiao said. BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO
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