Not cocaine, police say of white substance found in Eastern Samar

TACLOBAN CITY-The 25 packs containing white substance found by a fisherman on the coastline of Homonhon Island off Guiuan town in Eastern Samar province turned out to be chemical compound that can be used in the manufacture of illegal drugs and not cocaine as earlier suspected.

Chief Insp. Wilmer Dadia, police chief of Guiuan town, said in a phone interview that laboratory examinations on the white substance showed that these were chloride.

“This (chloride) is an essential component in the manufacture of the illegal drugs but still this is not conclusive as this is also used for other purposes like the production of chlorine. The items found were not finished products,” Dadia said.

“So we can not speculate,” he added, referring to whether the items could be intended for cocaine production.

The police earlier suspected that the 25 packs found floating on the waters off Barangay Cagusu-an (and not Cagusuran as earlier reported) on Feb. 3 were cocaine.

Gomercido Nolasco was preparing his fishnet in Cagusu-an when he found a metal container. When he opened it, he found 25 packs that contained white substance.

He turned these over to barangay councilor Rosario Abueme who, in turn, sought assistance from their village chair Saturnino Garado.

Dadia urged residents in the coastlines of Guiuan to inform the police should they find similar items.

“These items are toxic. [They] could contaminate our waters and even [be] harmful to our body,” he said.

The police were still investigating how these items were washed ashore on Homonhon Island, where Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan landed on March 16, 1521, which led to the discovery of the Philippines.