From Dumoy to the world
By Carlos Isagani Zarate
Inquirer News Service

THE DUMOY fresh water is probably one of the best in the world. Ask any Davaoeño and he will proudly attest to this without any hint of exaggeration. Dumoy, a suburban community situated along the southern coastal area of Davao City's Talomo District, is sitting on an aquifer whose source of water is traced to the bosom of Mt. Apo, the country's highest peak.

Experts say that through the process of natural filtration, millions of gallons of rainwater collected in the aquifer have been filtered "crystal clean" beneath the earth's surface by molten rocks and other elements spewed by volcanic eruptions in the past.

"That's the reason why the water in Dumoy tastes pure, fresh and good. It has no foul-smell; its quality is one of the best in the world," said Dominador Lopez Jr., an executive of the Davao City Water District (DCWD).

Indeed, the so-called Dumoy water is more than a source of pride for Davaoeños. Because of its "sweet water," the Dumoy area is now bustling with commercial activities and is considered one of the city's major economic hubs. Companies that produce soft drinks, juices, sauces, ice, bottled water and others have set up their plants in the area. Many DCWD deep wells providing the fresh and potable water needs of Davao City are also situated in Dumoy.

However, last New Year's Eve, something happened that tarnished Dumoy's fame. As its residents were preparing to greet New Year's Day -- again without the firecrackers and fireworks as in the past years -- several police cars and ambulances, sirens wailing, were seen racing toward a warehouse located along the national highway. It turned out later that the police had raided a shabu factory right in the heart of Dumoy.

There was a shootout between the police and members of a syndicate operating the warehouse, resulting in the death of six-still unidentified-Chinese-looking men. Also recovered were 76 kilos of shabu worth P152 million. The shabu factory, anti-narcotics officials claimed, was capable of producing at least 150 kilos of shabu weekly. One anti-narcotics operative also claimed that the factory could produce "high grade and export quality" shabu because of the quality of water that Dumoy offers.

A fuming Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who arrived at the scene after the raid together with ranking police and anti-narcotics officials, was overheard saying: "I told you not to f__k around in my city! You are destroying my nation, we will destroy you."

During his TV Sunday program following the raid, Duterte was still visibly furious declaring that "drug lords are garbage and I will dispose of them like garbage."

The shocking discovery of a drug laboratory in the city was an affront to the tough-talking mayor.

However, it may turn out to be just the tip of the iceberg. Several legally registered warehouses that were also raided by the authorities during the follow-up operations turned out to be fronts of a drug syndicate allegedly led by one Allan Sy, who remains at large. Apparently, the warehouse that was raided was not just an ordinary shabu factory put up to supply the local market. Authorities, including officials of the US Drug Enforcement Agency, link its financiers and operators to international drug rings, like the Chinese Triad.

The Dumoy factory could have been one of the sources of shabu exported for global distribution. This is not improbable: just a few kilometers away from the busted factory is the Davao City Fish Port in Toril District, which has long been suspected as a transshipment point for illegal drugs.

Undeniably, the Dumoy drug bust shocked many Davao residents. It is as if some chemicals had left a bad, if burning, taste in the mouth and have suddenly contaminated Dumoy's "pure and fresh water."

The public's disbelief, probably stems from the fact that the Duterte administration is known for its policy of "tough peace and order campaign" and for "hitting hard" on criminals, especially those involved in drugs. Also, following the March and April 2003 airport and seaport bombings, the military has become visible in the heart of Davao City, beefing up the local police force. On top of that, there has been no letup in the killing of suspected criminals allegedly by the so-called Davao Death Squad, which was credited with almost a hundred hits last year. Last week alone, seven people were killed vigilante-style by motorcycle-riding gunmen. In this environment, who in his right mind would have ever thought of setting up a shabu factory in Davao City?

Probably, the drug syndicate thought that the best place where they could operate a shabu factory would be a place that no one in his right mind would ever choose as a site for such a factory. And, judging from the evidence so far disclosed to the court and the media, the drug syndicate could not have established its laboratory in Davao City without the help of a wide network of contacts, both in the government and private sector. Unmasking these contacts and prosecuting them would be a big challenge, as in the past. For it would be wishful thinking to believe that we can stop the proliferation of illegal drugs by allowing members of drug syndicates to escape from detention or to go scot-free through legal technicalities; or by "terminating them with extreme prejudice" or, worse, by promoting or electing them into office.