By Lyka Manalo
IBAAN, Batangas— the municipal council or Sangguniang Bayan in Ibaan, Batangas, has approved a resolution Wednesday calling on the chief executive to advise the concerned departments to inspect all business establishments with warehouses following the discovery of a shabu laboratory that was raided last week here.
Ibaan, Batangas Map
(C) Wikipedia
In a letter dated April 16, Vice Mayor Edralyn Joy Salvame asked Councilor Cesar Marasigan, chairman of the Committee on Good Governance to sponsor a resolution, to check what’s inside the warehouses particularly those with enclosed and high fenced compounds.
“As we are all promoting a drug-free municipality, I am confident that this action will serve as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the people of Ibaan and prevent the same incident to happen in the future” the letter read.
A newly built warehouse intended to manufacture shabu and ecstacy which just had started nearly three weeks was raided by the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency (PDEA) inside Hingoso Farm, Barangay Sto.Niño this town last April 12.
Authorities were able to arrest four Chinese nationals and four Filipinos who were all working in the laboratory which has a capacity to produce 25 kilos of drugs worth P125 million per day, according to PDEA Director Aaron Aquino.
On the other hand, Ibaan municipal administrator and lawyer, Triven Castillo though has not received yet a copy of the resolution said Mayor Danny Toreja had convened immediately an emergency meeting with the Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC), Municipal Anti Drug Abuse Council (MADAC) and Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) of Sto Niño a day after the raid to prevent repetition of incident.
“One of the measures considered is a reporting by BADACs of all establishments in their jurisdiction that may be inspected” Castillo said in a text message.
Meanwhile, the raid has created fears and alarmed town residents. A new provincial jail and drug rehabilitation is being constructed in Barangay Malainin, just adjacent to Sto.Niño with an initial budget of P50M allocation from the provincial government.
A village resident who requested anonymity told Manila Bulletin that he feels uncomfortable and fears that the drug syndicate might get back.
Ibaan chief of police, Senior Inspector Jayson Aguilar said the compound is now being guarded by joint forces of PDEA, Philippine Air Force (AFP), Batangas Provincial Mobile Force Company (BPMFC) and local police.
He said the warehouse is almost empty with only drums left and they are waiting for an order from PDEA when to stop guarding the compound with more or less 1.3 hectares land area.
The police chief revealed that the property was sold for P9M million to a certain Marites Mendoza from Valenzuela City who police believed was a dummy.