NEWSFLASH

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SENATE PROBES STARS' DRUG USE

Manila, Aug. 21, 1998 - The Senate Illegal Drugs Committee was formally asked yesterday to undertake an investigation into the reported rampant use of illegal drugs by movie stars, directors and other sectors in the film industry.

Senate Resolution No. 121 was filed yesterday by Sen. Robert Barbers who observed that the use of prohibited drugs appears to have become widespread among entertainers.

Several movie personalities have been charged in connection with drugs, the latest of whom is beauty queen-actress Alma Concepcion who remains detained in Guam since her arrest for alleged possession of methamphetamine hydrochloride or ``shabu.''

Barbers, a retired police officer and former Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary, noted that many other entertainers have voluntarily submitted themselves to rehabilitation or detoxification.

A former Manila police chief, Barbers said government should come up with measures to stop the social menace to protect the people, especially the youth, who look up to show business personalities as their role models.

He also called on all members of the entertainment sector to cleanse their ranks and strive to make show business a drug-free industry, as he hailed last week's signing of a memorandum of agreement between the DILG and the Kapisanan ng mga Artista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (KAPP) which aims to fight illegal drugs not only within the entertainment industry but also throughout the country.