IN PHOTOS: Duterte, Dela Rosa visit Arayat shabu lab

PAMPANGA, Philippines – A supposed shabu factory located in a quiet barangay at the foot of Mount Arayat in Pampanga will soon turn into a “beautiful rehab center,” if President Rodrigo Duterte has his way.

Duterte, at the forefront of a nationwide “war on drugs,” inspected a factory that has the potential to produce over 400 kilograms of shabu or methamphetamine daily.

The President ordered the “confiscation of the property,” which is located within a lot owned by a certain “Sunday Chua.” At least one Chinese national was arrested when police, fire officers, and health inspectors entered the compound on September 23.

Duterte left it for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to decide on how the machines would be used but said the building itself would be turned into a rehabilitation facility.

“Saka hindi kailangan ng aircon, bukid eh, malamig. So for the first batch na nahuli sa police, iyong gustong mag—baka sa media, sino ang gustong magpa-rehab na, lumantad na lang kayo, patago-tago pa kayo, putragis, sino? Kasi dito ko kayo i-assign. Maganda dito, malamig,” quipped Duterte.

(You won’t need airconditioning because it’s a mountain. It’s cold here. So for the first batch caught by police, those who… or maybe in the media? Who wants to undergo rehab? Come forward now. Why are you still hiding. Because I’ll assign you here. It’s nice here. It’s cold.)

Flanked by Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda, PDEA chief Isidro Lapeña, and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa, Duterte said he “will find the money.”

“I will find the money, sigurado iyan (I’m sure). Can I have about 25 to 50 million, it’s gonna be a beautiful rehab center for our country,” he said. He did not say, however, if the amount will be taken from the 2017 budget, which is still being deliberated before Congress. 

Photos courtesy of Malacañang. – Rappler.com