By EUGENE ADIONG
MURCIA, Negros Occidental — Four “big-time” Muslim drug suppliers are now in this city, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
One of them is a woman, PDEA agent James Afuang yesterday revealed.
“They arrived in April this year,” Afuang said. “Just one of them can supply 100 grams of shabu per week.”
Afuang was present at the Regional Assembly of the Philippine National Police Interfaith Organization here yesterday.
He revealed that Bacolod City is the “center of illegal drug trade in Negros Occidental.”
Illegal drug personalities in the province get their supply from either Cebu or Manila, Afuang disclosed.
Afuang also denied reports that there are big-time drug pushers here. All Murcia has, he said, are “street-level sellers.” “Right now, there are two small-time drug sellers in town that we are monitoring,” he said.
He said his office and Mayor Andrew Montelibano agreed to work hand in hand in the campaign against illegal drugs.
For his part, Montelibano said he is willing to take drug tests every day.
Priests here have been allegedly criticizing the municipal government officials for their “inaction” to the drug problem.
“The attack is becoming personal,” Montelibano said. “It is an issue that has been raised against me since I was 12 years old, but nobody has proven it yet.”
He said municipal officials and police are doing their jobs. But “Murcia has a population of 80,000, and we have only 26 police personnel,” he said. “How can we monitor all of them?”
Unfortunately for parish priest Fr. Greg Patiño and parochial vicar Fr. Agustin Hinayan, “instead of appreciating our effort by taking a drug test, they downplayed it,” Montelibano said.
He said the priests could also take a drug test if they want to, but “I will not dare or challenge them to follow our lead.”
Meanwhile, PDEA agent Afuang revealed that illegal drug groups have placed a P250,000 bounty on his head.
“I have been receiving death threats since I joined the agency,” he said. Threats come via text message, he said.
He remains unfazed, however. Otherwise, “we will not win the war against drugs,” he said./PN
