Malacañang expressed puzzlement over Vice President Sara Duterte’s rapid reaction to the recently intercepted Philippine-bound contraband shipments in Laos and Thailand, noting her prolonged silence on previous multi-million peso drug seizures at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and Clark International Airport.
Vice President Duterte previously stated that the illegal drug shipments seized in Laos and Thailand, which were reportedly bound for the Philippines, brought embarrassment to the country among its ASEAN neighbors.
” Medyo ito ay nakakapagtaka na sa lahat-lahat po nang nai-intercept na mga iligal na droga ay ito ang tanging … bukod tangi – kung mayroon akong maling nasabi, ako ay inyong ikorek – pero parang ito ang bukod tanging napakabilis na mag-react ng Bise Presidente,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during a press briefing.
Castro noted a shifting narrative surrounding the local destination of the contraband.
“Sa ngayon, nakita natin kung paano ipahid sa ibang tao itong diumanong pag-aangkat ng ilegal na droga pero kahapon lamang ay nag-ulat ang PDEA na ito pala ay papunta sa Mindanao at ang involved dito ay ang Golden Triangle. At sa ating pagsusuri at naitanong, ito bang Golden Triangle ang ibang miyembro ba dito ay may tattoo na dragon?” Castro added.
According to reports, PDEA was already aware that the illicit drugs seized in Laos and Thailand were destined for the Philippines, specifically Mindanao.
Castro argued that, contrary to the Vice President’s remarks, the real embarrassment stems from the billions of pesos worth of shabu discovered inside magnetic lifters in 2018.
At the time, former President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed the incident as mere speculation, despite confirmations from then-Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña that the drug shipment was real.
“Nasaan na kaya ang missing shabu na ito? Ito po ay panahon ni dating Pangulong Duterte,” Castro stated, while presenting a news clipping of the 2018 incident to reporters. # (RRN)
