Resurgence in illegal drug activities seen

MANILA, Philippines — There may be a resurgence of illegal drug activity beginning June as quarantine rules are relaxed nationwide, the chair of the House dangerous drugs committee warned authorities on Sunday.

“The drug trade will return with vengeance after hibernating for almost three months,” Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said.

He urged the Philippine National Police to be on guard in monitoring illicit activities under the general community quarantine.

The Mindanao lawmaker said he believed that drug personalities “lost billions of pesos in drug trade opportunities” when the virus forced the government to place Luzon in quarantine in mid-March, followed by lockdowns in other regions.

—DJ Yap