Are we really a narco state now?

STAR columnist Cito Beltran’s column (April 19) scared us as he proclaimed “Narco State Phl.” My first reaction was that he must be exaggerating; how can the Philippines be a narco state? After a six-year bloody/deadly war on drugs, has the situation deteriorated to such an extent?

But looking at the headlines, I must pause and consider the possibility. Nearly a ton – 990 kilos! – of shabu was found in the office of an ex-police officer. And from that amount, 42 kilos were supposedly taken to be given as “balato” to an informant/asset. How can that make sense – giving illegal drugs as reward? That’s pure insanity, and the height of illegal!

Then there’s the excuse that the ex-cop was freed (uncuffed) so that he could be used in another drug raid that is supposed to be even bigger than the one he was arrested for, meaning it will be more than a ton? With just these two instances, it seems like our country is, indeed, a narco state, a haven for illegal drugs, where drug lords – Chinese, it would appear, since the packaging of the illegal drugs looks a lot like the tea packs one can buy in Binondo! – are having a field day plying their trade.

And the worst thing – and even scarier – is that our police seem to be deeply involved in the drug trade. Police officials may hold press conferences to proclaim their innocence, insist that the DILG secretary was given wrong information and he should not have jumped to conclusions, but the fragile trust the public had in our police force is, sadly, unfortunately, broken.

It seems like the much-hyped war on drugs has gotten us even more deeply mired in this scourge. As the drug lords and syndicates are having a good time of it, who will mourn the thousands of ordinary folk killed in the name of the war on drugs? – Mike & Joy Castro, Sampaloc, Manila