Albayalde clarifies ‘shabu hotbed’ tag on Naga City

Updated 3 p.m.

Although admitting that Naga City is among the cities troubled by drugs, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde on Wednesday sought to clarify the shabu “hotbed” tag on Vice President Leni Robredo’s hometown.

“Meron talaga, pero not necessarily siya ang pinaka-hot, pero meron talaga,” Albayalde told CNN Philippines when asked if data from the PNP indicate that there is a rampant distribution of shabu or crystal meth in the city.

(It exists, but it’s not necessarily the hottest, although it really exists.)

“When you say hotbed, parang source kasi talaga yan eh (it’s really the source). I really don’t know where he (President Duterte) got his information on that,” Albayalde said.

Duterte earlier claimed that Naga City, a bailiwick of Vice President Leni Robredo, was a “hotbed” of shabu, which he said testifies against her leadership ability.

Albayalde said the President may have based his claim on the volume of illegal drugs seized in the region. The PNP chief admits, however, that big shabu laboratories have been dismantled in Naga City in the past years.

“Just two, three months ago, andyan yung papasok diyan na shabu (there was the imported shabu) in the Bicol region, not necessarily in Naga City,” Albayalde said.

“In Camarines Sur, ilang beses na nakarecover ng kilos of cocaine dyan, floating in the sea. So ito siguro ang nakakarating sa Presidente,” he said.

(In Camarines Sur, kilograms of cocaine floating in the sea were recovered many times. Maybe this is the information that reaches the President.) /muf

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