The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) destroyed 99.9 million worth of dangerous drugs through thermal destruction on Monday, May 30, in Cebu City.
Thermal destruction or thermolysis is a method of decomposition or breaking down of chemicals by heat. At 1,000 degrees centigrade, all dangerous drugs are totally destroyed.
The PDEA Regional Office 7 noted that more than 13 kilos of shabu, over 74 kilos of marijuana and 4.44 grams of ephedrine (a dangerous drug) were destroyed.
The destruction of the dangerous drugs was covered by court orders for those seized with cases filed and a written order from PDEA Director General Wilkins M. Villanueva for those without cases filed.
These were pieces of evidence in the custody of PDEA 7 Laboratory and those turned over to the office from the regional trial courts and Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory from cases.
“Section 21, Article II of RA 9165 specifies that PDEA shall take charge and have custody of all dangerous drugs for proper disposition,’’ PDEA said.
Prior to the destruction, the PDEA Regional Office 7 chemists conducted a field test on the substances in front of witnesses to dispel doubts that these were replaced.
The witnesses present during the destruction include representatives from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), civil society groups, members of the media and an elected public official as prescribed in DDB Reg. 1, S. 2002.
Also present were the judges of the different regional trial courts in Cebu and representatives of Police Regional Office 7 and the police offices in Cebu City, Mandaue City, and Lapu-Lapu City.
Guest speaker Presiding Judge Pamela Baring of the Cebu City RTC Branch 21 highlighted how illegal drugs corrupt our communities.
She said that the anti-illegal drug campaign is not the responsibility of just one person or agency ‘but is the obligation of everyone in the community.’
“The activity was conducted by PDEA 7 under the leadership of Dir. III Levi S. Ortiz, in partnership with the RTCs, PRO 7, and the management of Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes Inc., who again allowed the free use of their thermal facility for the seventh time since 2017,’’ PDEA added.
Since 2017, more than 85 kilos of shabu, 148 kilos of marijuana, 21 liters of nalbuphine hydrochloride and one kilo of various dangerous drugs have been destroyed through thermal decomposition.
The agency assured that the process followed guidelines required in Section 21, Article II of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) and Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 1, Series of 2002. (Chito A. Chavez)