Press Release
September 18, 2007

REVILLA WANTS CRACKDOWN ON FAKE DRUGS, ITS PROTECTORS

Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. today called for a total government crackdown against the multi-billion peso counterfeit and unregistered drugs trade in the country, including the so-called sex drugs.

"It is puzzling how these fake and unlisted medicines entered the country and being wildly sold by various drugstores nationwide. I suspect this kind of activity has been going on for a very long time," Revilla said.

He challenged the government to go after the smugglers and protectors of fake and unregistered drugs who were said to be amassing billions of pesos in their illegal activities.

The senator made this call after the successful series of raids conducted recently by law-enforcement agents on several establishments in the metropolis involved in the illicit trade.

He confirmed the P20-million bribe attempt made by an anonymous person to stop the campaign against bogus medicines. "There were feelers sent to my staff for a meeting. We were preparing an entrapment operation but it looks like the briber sensed it, "he revealed.

Revilla earlier filed Senate Resolution No. 123 urging the Senate to investigate the proliferation of smuggled, counterfeit and unregistered medicines in the country in order to come up with corrective legislation to address the said problem.

He stressed that there is a need to strengthen the powers of the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) and increase the penalties against those engaged in the sale of fake, unregistered and smuggled medicines.

"Our efforts to lower the price of medicine will be futile if we see the proliferation of counterfeit and unregistered drugs. Public health will be at grave risk due to these fake drugs," Revilla explained.

The lawmaker helped convene an inter-agency group headed by the Philippine National Police- National Capital Region Police Office (PNP-NCRPO) which recently launched an operation against establishments allegedly storing and selling fake and unregistered drugs.

Among the questionable medicines seized by the PNP-NCRPO, BFAD, Bureau of Immigration (BI) and Bureau of Customs (BoC) were boxes of penis enlarger sprays, sex virility oils and sex vitalizing drops.

The raiding team also discovered from the searched warehouses so-called beauty enhancers such as breast enlargement creams, whitening soaps and slimming medicines. The latter is said to contain methamphetamine, main ingredient in the manufacture of Shabu.

According to authorities, one of the raided establishments contain about half a billion peso worth of these questionable items.

Revilla cautioned the public against patronizing fake, unregistered and smuggled drugs.

He cited as example the recall order recently by Chinese authorities of tainted leukemia drugs blamed for causing leg pains and other problems.

"It's not only the unlisted sex-stimulant drugs that we must be careful in using but all counterfeit, unregistered and smuggled medicines. We don't have the guarantee that it truly works or it has no side effects. Your health condition might get worse instead of having relief," he stressed.

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