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I am writing in response to your article, titled “House panel, NBI open parallel probes into P6.8-billion shabu smuggling,” published online by the BusinessMirror on August 13, 2018.
The article alleged that “last August 10, PDEA [Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency] Director General Aaron Aquino said that about 1 ton of shabu from Taiwan worth around P6.8 billion slipped past the BOC and other law-enforcement authorities and could already be circulating around the country.”
I would like to clarify that Taiwan is not the origin country of the more or less 500 kilos of illegal drugs (shabu) seized by the PDEA last week.
Without presenting any convincing and verified evidence by the Philippine authorities, it is therefore totally inappropriate to make groundless allegation and accusation against Taiwan for being the “source” of the illegal drugs in the Philippines.
As a matter of fact, Taiwan has been jointly fighting against transnational trafficking of illegal drugs with the Philippines. Through collaborative efforts, Philippine authorities have been able to resolve many illegal-drug cases. In the past four years, the Philippine authorities have been able to seize a lot of shabu and material to produce the substance. The market value of the confiscated illegal drugs is around P2 billion.
The Philippine authorities have been grateful for Taiwan’s unreserved assistance and cooperation in cracking down on illegal drugs.
We are all aware that cross-border illegal drugs have become a global and regional concern, which requires all countries involved to work in partnership to combat drug trafficking.
I am therefore calling on the Philippine government to share with Taiwan any information that may lead to the apprehension and arrest of illegal-drugs criminals.
Finally, I would like to reiterate that Taiwan is definitely not the country that exports illegal drugs to the Philippines. On the contrary, Taiwan is a trustworthy partner in the Philippines’s endeavor in fighting transnational illegal drugs.
Jerry Chuang
Director
Taipei Economic and Cultural
Office in the Philippines