AIDSOTF bares modest accomplishment in 2006

Despite limited resources, the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) was able to accomplish a lot in the war against illegal drugs last year.

"The year 2006 may be marked with adverse challenges as the command adopted austerity measures in its pursuit of supporting the priority program thrust of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on organizational innovations and internal reforms," the 17-page AIDSOTF accomplishment report read.

In line with its desired programs to end the war against illegal drugs, AIDSOTF espouses four strategic concepts to complete its mission— supply reduction, demand reduction, internal cleansing and internal and regional cooperation.

AIDSOTF admitted that these strategies were effective in dismantling several clandestine shabu laboratories in the country.

"The consistency of efforts to permanently eliminate the activities of drug syndicates, local and foreign, marked a continuous decrease in the operations of manufacturing and storage facilities in 2006," the AIDSOTF report said.

AIDSOTF vowed that it would remain committed to its mandate to support the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Since its creation in 2002, AIDSOTF has busted more than 30 shabu laboratories in the country and confiscated some P9 billion worth of shabu, raw materials and precursors.

Last year, however, the AIDSOTF’s accomplishment declined because foreign drug syndicates resorted to smuggling shabu finished products into the country.

"The apparent insufficiency of resources had never discouraged AIDSOTF in pursuing drug syndicates operating in the country," the report said.

To date, the PNP has yet to announce the appointment of Chief Superintendent Geary Barias, as the new AIDSOTF commander.

Barias would replace Chief Superintendent Edgardo Doromal, who was promoted as head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

But with Barias at the helm, it is expected that AIDSOTF personnel would consistently be motivated to observe the agency’s core values of unity, solidarity, and teamwork.

Last year, its regional branches arrested a total of 8,958 drug pushers and users and 7,574 cases were filed in court. A total of P2.4 billion illegal drugs were also confiscated.

AIDSOTF reported that shabu and marijuana remain the most abused substances in 2006.

However, because of the massive neutralization of shabu laboratories nationwide in the past few years, a shortage in the supply of shabu was noted last year.

"The shortage of shabu supply in the market prompted drug users to shift to marijuana," said Superintendent Andy Suan, head of AIDSOTF’s Special Operations Unit 2.

According to Suan, the price of shabu in the streets is now pegged at P5,000 per gram, up by more than 200 percent.

So far, the most significant accomplishment of AIDSOTF last year was the dismantling of the shabu "tiangge" located along F. Soriano St. in Mapayapa, Barangay Sto. Tomas, which gained nationwide attention.

Muslim trader Amin Imam Boratong and his wife, Sheryl Molera, are now under government custody and facing various charges before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court.

AIDSOTF is also in the thick of educating Filipino families on the ABCs of drug prevention through seminars and symposiums held in various schools, barangays and workplaces.