KALIBO, Aklan”•Eighteen Taiwanese and seven Chinese nationals recently arrested in Boracay have been indicted on drug charges even as a senator expressed hope that increasing cooperation between Manila and Beijing will stem the activities of Chinese drug syndicates in the country.
The recommendation to file the charges was penned by state prosecutors Dearly Yerro and Cayo Venturanza and approved by Provincial Prosecutor Maya Bien Tolentino.
Operatives of the Aklan Provincial Police Office filed illegal drugs charges against the suspects Tuesday night with copies of the resolutions being made available to journalists here Thursday.
Twenty-fourt of the 25 suspects, however, were allowed to post bail worth P400,000 each. One of the suspects identified as Lin Szu Wei could not post bail since he was arrested in a buy bust operation.
Wei was also tested positive for drugs.
Charged of violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Acts of 2002 for visiting a drug den were 32-year-old Lin Szu Wei; Shau Wei Hu, 30; Tian You Jhou, 26; Shao Wei Zeng, 25; Guo Siou Hong, 25; Chia Hui Sun, 25; Yu Ting Lien, 34; Wei Chieh Weng, 29; Jhih Hong Chen, 26; Hsiao Chun Huang, 27; Yu Lung Fan, 29; Ching Ching Chang, 25; His Ao Chu, 23; and Shuang Chuan, 22 from Taiwan.
Police also arrested four Taiwanese women identified as Yung Chun Wang, 23; Pei Yu Wu, 23; Yuan Shun Chou, 27; and Li Yin Lo, 23.
Chinese nationals charged by the police were Honghua Zhou, 25; Zonglong He, 29; Feng Shuang Han, 32; Chun Gong, 29; Hui Zeng, 29 and two Chinese women”•Juan Wang, 28 and Yuling Zhong, 23.
State prosecutors said they are anticipating the arrival of lawyers coming from both the Taiwanese and Chinese embassies to defend them in court.
Aside from the drug case, police are also awaiting results from the police cyber crime group wherein the foreigners are suspected to be engaged in internet fraud.
Meanwhile, Senator Richard J. Gordon expressed hope that increasing cooperation between the Philippines and China will help resolve the pervasive problem of illegal drugs in the country.
He cited the disclosure made by law enforcement authorities who said the bulk of illegal drugs in the country and raw materials for manufacturing such drugs come from China.
Gordon welcomed the Department of Foreign Affairs’ move to prepare a note verbale to be sent to China and summon China’s ambassador to the Philippines to discuss the drug crisis.
He said the Philippines’ drug problem has risen to very serious proportions as it has adversely affected around 3.7-million Filipinos who have become either drug users or pushers, of which one million are young persons who are either in or out of school.
He pointed out that China recognizes the problem of illegal drugs which is shown by its resolute efforts to address the problem on its own soil.
He said China recognizes the problem of illegal drugs as shown by its assiduous efforts”•through its draconian security network”•in arresting Filipinos and nationals of other countries who are arrested upon arrival as drug mules and now face the death penalty.
“We should tell China, in your country”•if a Filipino entered your country, you arrest them… a hundred are being jailed in China, they are being executed while you allow your people to go out of your country and sell drugs, manufacture drugs there in China, and do their thing even in jail,” Gordon said.
Given China’s robust security system, he said its own government could easily interdict the drugs and personnel coming out of China.
He also noted that a joint task force could be created to identify patterns of passengers and gather collective intelligence; initiate capacity building initiatives against transnational trafficking of drugs; and have the Chinese nationals involved in drug trade to be arrested in China, among others.