Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers vowed on Tuesday afternoon, March 14 to pin down the law enforcement personnel who are involved in the recycling of seized illegal drugs.

This, as the solon received further proof of this disturbing--and apparently 20-year-old--modus operandi during Tuesday's Committee on Dangerous Drugs hearing.

Barbers chairs the panel that's carrying out the motu proprio inquiry. And it took an executive session during the hearing for Barbers to get the details that he wanted to hear.

“We will not stop until we have unmasked all these crooks in uniform who have doomed so many lives to live in luxury," the Mindanaoan and senior Nacionalista Party (NP) member said.

During the executive session, it was learned that illegal drugs hauled, seized, and confiscated by the PNP (Philippine National Police) and PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) are being recycled for "the past 20 years".

An executive session is closed to the media. It's a way for congressmen to prod resource persons to share more sensitive pieces of information in an ongoing probe in aid of legislation.

Based on details coming out of the closed-door session, an informant-slash-asset of both the PNP and PDEA told the committee that he is rewarded with "shabu" (methamphetamine hydrochloride) by illegal drug operatives everytime they make a bust based on his tips.

The shabu in this case was called "basura", the Filipino word for garbage.

The reward amount varies from 30 percent of the confiscated drug, to us much as 70 percent.

“The testimony of the asset confirmed what we have heard all this time. The illegal practice of giving substantial portions of the drugs seized now has a face. In due time, if evidence warrants, criminal charges will be filed," said Barbers, who allowed the executive session three hours into the hearing.

At that point, the invited law enforcement officials were being coy about the recycling issue.

Barbers condemned the illegal practice and promised to unearth more pieces of evidence as well as the names of personalities involved in succeeding hearings.