Jonvic Remulla: Supply drop drives up shabu prices in PH

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Sec. Jonvic Remulla on Wednesday said the rising value of illegal drugs resulted in a decline of supply in the country due to the government’s continued anti-drug operations.

According to Remulla, the cost of “shabu” (crystal meth) was around P3,800 per gram in the previous administration, which is significantly lower than its current value of P6,800 per gram.

“Ibig sabihin ang supply ang mababa, nahihirapan sila ang kumuha,” he said during a briefing at a port in Manila.

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(“This means the supply is low, and they are having a hard time obtaining it.”)

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Remulla made the remarks after inspecting the seized shipment from Laos at the Manila International Container Port, where 200 kilograms of suspected “shabu” (crystal meth) worth P1.36 billion was found.

READ: P1.36-B shabu from Laos shipment seized at Manila Port

He added that since 2022, authorities have intercepted a total of 17 tonnes of illegal drugs.

“Dahil doon tumaas ang presyo ng shabu,” he asserted.

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(“That’s why the price of shabu increased.”)

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) also noted that between 2025 and 2026, authorities confiscated approximately P11.294 billion worth of illegal substances.  

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“Ang tanong dito, was the war on drugs effective? Bakit pumapasok ang droga noong panahon na yun at ngayon nakukuha lahat?” he questioned.

(“The question here is: was the war on drugs effective? Why were drugs entering the country back then, and why it can be easily seized now?”)

The Interior and Local Government chief also said they would investigate the consignee, or individual behind the Laos shipment, and identify other individuals possibly involved in the attempted smuggling.

The BOC said that, according to reports, the cargo that came from Laos reportedly passed through Haiphong, Vietnam before docking in Hong Kong, where the container was transferred to a ship bound for Manila.

“Hindi po natin tina-target ang maliit na tao, hindi po natin target lang ang mga peddler, kinukuha natin from the source itself,” Remulla expressed.

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(“We are not targeting the ‘little guys’; we are not just targeting the peddlers—we are going after the source itself.”) /mr