A fake shabu laboratory in Davao?

It’s the season for campaign operations even as the official campaign season has yet to officially begin. Political camps are steeling themselves for black and gray propaganda alike that could be aimed at them by enemies.

On Monday, January 25, vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr was at the receiving end of a supposed DNA test that allegedly showed matching results with presidential candidate Grace Poe. The source of test results turned out to be questionable.

On the same day, during a command conference of military and police officials in Davao City, another presidential candidate, Rodrigo Duterte, was warned there was verified information that a group of drug enforcers are in Davao to “set up” a shabu laboratory and conduct raids to embarrass him. The raid will supposedly be conducted on the eve of the campaign period for candidates seeking national posts.

“The great raid” as the operation is called, will reportedly involve agents from the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Criminal Investigation and Detection group (CIDG), Duterte disclosed. Officials from the two agencies were noticeably absent during the said conference Monday night.

Duterte had declared that if he wins as president, he would launch a 24/7 campaign against drugs and criminality.

He told reporters, “There are operatives who are in Davao right now and we suspect they will make rounds of raids here, mag-flood ng shabu, may dala na yan silang shabu kunyari marami ang raids nila, mag-set up ng factory ng shabu. Ngayon alam ko na.” (They will flood us with shabu, they would bring shabu and pretend to stage a lot of raids, set up a factory of shabu. Now I know.)

Duterte warned drug enforcers not to fabricate evidence to embarrass him and the people of Davao about the existence of a shabu laboratory in his city.

“Kay may sufficient warning kana, do not commit a crime here, do not import shabu,” he continued. (Because there’s sufficient warning, do not commit a crime here, do not import shabu.) 

Intelligence officers sympathetic to him passed on the information to the presidential contender who couldn’t help but warn during a midnight press conference on January 25, “I know you are here, so it cannot be murder kung patayin kita (if I kill you).” – Editha Z. Caduaya/Rappler.com