Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he has given orders to convert a seized crystal methamphetamine plant in Pampanga into a rehabilitation centre, where drug addicts can reform their damaged lives.
Speaking in Arayat, where government operatives recently seized a massive plant, said to be capable of manufacturing 400 kilos of crystal methamphetamine or “shabu” per day, Duterte said the sequestered property could be put to good use by converting it into a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts.
The government has encountered difficulty, in the middle of its campaign against drugs, as it has limited space to accommodate the tens of thousands of addicts it has identified in its nearly three months long drive against illicit substances.
“Can you just imagine if we were not able to discover this facility and someone else got the position of the President? In six years we could have become a failed state [because of drugs],” he said.
The sprawling property in the middle of farmland in the village of Lacquios, in the municipality of Arayat near the foot of the mountain bearing the same name, housed a massive livestock farm.
According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the presence of the farm and the smell of the pigs masked the presence of the clandestine factory.
The president said, going forward, all piggeries would be inspected.
“The foul smell of the piggery can drown the smell of shabu being cooked,” he said.
Duterte said that by now, Filipinos should already have an idea of who the politicians are — including village leaders and mayors — engaged in illegal drugs.
“I will be reading them publicly again maybe until I come back from Vietnam. Because it is important that the public knows who these corrupt officials are,” he said.
Likewise the president said he intended to bring the Philippines’ drug problem to China’s attention, saying Beijing has given its commitment to help the country.
Duterte had previously accused China of smuggling into the country shabu as well as being the source of criminals who manufacture the illegal substance.
“So we want them also to control their people and increase their focus on the criminals. We are friends, but why is this happening? If you consider us your friend, you want to help us, but most of the materials and the machines and the boilers for the shabu plant are from China, what does that mean?,” he said.
