‘Date rape’ drug present in Cebu?

CEBU, Philippines – Authorities are suspecting that Gamma Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), commonly called "date rape" drug, is already present in Cebu, following the alleged gang-rape last week of a 21-year-old woman.

Superintendent Romeo Santander, chief of the Cebu City Intelligence Branch, said this was not the first time they received information about someone who was carried off from a bar and was sexually abused by a group of men in other places.

GHB, considered as a club drug or a "date rape" drug, was first known to public after operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation seized such illegal drugs in a Mandaluyong City raid April this year.

Santander said even if they have not received official reports, they still could not discount the possibility of such drug's presence in Cebu City.

Because of this, Santander said they will coordinate with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 to ask all the effects of this drug, as well as to identify any people showing signs of taking it.

"We'll try to see first, unsa'y klase nga behavior ug unsa'y tama kung makainom ka ana. We'll start from the bottom," Santander said.

Since the drug might usually be used inside bars, he also said they will gather bar managers in Cebu City and orient them on stepping up their respective security measures.

"Coordination lang gyud sa bar managers kay og wa sila makahatag mismo og monitoring sa sulod sa ilang area, lisod gyud," Santander said.

He also advised the public, especially the partygoers, to be cautious in accepting drinks from strangers that could be mixed with GHB.

Last week, a 21-year-old woman alleged she was gang-raped by three men at a boarding house in Barangay Sambag II, Cebu City.

This happened after she allegedly got unconscious when she accepted the drinks offered to her by the group of one of the suspects.