Philippines actor held on drug charges

Manila: Philippine officials have warned celebrities who take drugs it would be a matter of time before the government catches up with them and that their popularity is not a guarantee the law will not be enforced on them.

According to Director-General Isidro Lapeña, of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), celebrities should stay away from drugs while they still can.

“Illegal drugs are not good for anyone, whether you are a commoner or a public figure. No ifs and buts. Illegal drugs have no place in anyone’s life,” Lapeña said.

The law has generally been kind to showbusiness personalities.

Although some have been known to engage in drug use, they have generally been given kid glove treatment because of their popularity, political connections and influence they have on officials.

Under the active anti-drugs campaign of the new administration under President Rodrigo Duterte however, they would be given the same treatment just like any other.

On Monday actor Mark Anthony Fernandez, a former teenage heart-throb and now a character actor, was arrested by police at a checkpoint in Angeles City, in Pampanga in Central Luzon.

He was carrying inside his car a kilogramme of dried cannabis leaves, which he claimed to use for medical reasons. The Philippines does not subscribe to the use of medical marijuana.

Also on Monday, starlet Krista Miller was arrested together with two models while having a drug session in suburban Quezon City.

Prior to these incidents, a former 1990s actress who appeared in risqué movies, Sabrina M whose real name is Karen Salas Palasigue, was arrested for selling cocaine.

She has long been suspected of peddling drugs to show business personalities.

The arrests were made weeks after Karen Bordador, a popular radio disc jockey, was detained in Pasig City together with her boyfriend Emilio Lim. The couple were allegedly peddling the sexually enhancing hallucinogen ecstasy as well as marijuana.

Lapeña said celebrities should not allow themselves to get hooked on drugs as most young people look up to them.

“There is a need for greater prudence and responsibility for persons who are under constant public scrutiny and are looked up to as positive role models, such as celebrities. That is why they should take it upon themselves not to be hooked or involved in illegal drugs,” Lapeña said.

He said that in the Philippines, it is becoming increasingly common for people in the entertainment industry to become drug users because of long working hours and frequent partying.

“Some use methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, purportedly to keep them awake so that they can work for long hours, while others who frequent bars and night joints use marijuana and ecstasy, a recreational party drug,” he added.

National police Director-General Ronald Dela Rosa earlier urged celebrities hooked or are involved in selling drugs to voluntarily surrender or risk being arrested in the government’s ongoing drive versus illicit substances.

“It would be for the good of these personalities if they surrender because they have already been identified as users,” Dela Rosa said.

Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte said they already have the names of 50 individuals in show business who are involved in drugs.