by ADRIAN STEWART T. CO
University of Santo Tomas Journalism program
MUNTINLUPA CITY—THE sealant “Vulca Seal” is used to plug the leaks on roofs, but it is now the new addiction of vagrants here.
While undertaking his job as a jeepney barker along at a street in Alabang, 46-year-old “Danny” snuffled a plastic with a patch of Vulca Seal. “This is our new substitute for rugby,” he said.
He admitted that almost all of what he earned, out of barkering for passenger at PhP5 per filled jeepney, were spent to this vice.
Another Vulca Seal addict revealed that authorities in the city are tending this problem with soft hands.
“They will just bring us to the precinct and ask us for their pang-yosi (cigarette money). Later on, we are already set free,” said 10-year-old “Rico”.
Rugby is a substance known for repairing shoes and fixing floor vinyl. It causes a person’s brain to dry up, making one feel uneasy and unsteady.
Rugby addiction stopped after rugby manufacturers integrated at least give percent mustard oil, an additive that has made rugby unattractive to sniffing addicts due to its dizzying smell. This led to the shift to Vulca Seal.
“Nakakahilo kasi yung amoy noong bawang kaya ayaw na naming ng rugby kahit na mas sulit yon (The garlic scent makes us feel shaky, that is why we are not buying rugby anymore even if it is cheaper),” Danny said.
A gin-size bottle of rugby costs Php65, while a sealant placed on a tetra-pack is worth PhP45.
However, Danny said that they are not getting daily rations of Vulca Seal here; instead they buy it in volumes outside of Muntinlupa City.
This is because hardware stores in the city disallow people from easily purchasing Vulca Seal and rugby.
“Our store’s management ordered us to scrutinize the consumers buying rugby and sealants. If we find them to be confusing, we immediately say that we ran out of stack,” said Christian Ramos, a sales clerk from one of the hardware stores here.
“They (addicts) are easy to distinguish, so even if they say they are not addicts, we disallow them from purchasing Vulca Seal,” said Pacheco Partosa, son of the owner of a general merchandize store here.
Some people even think that some addicts steal goods from market stalls and sell these at a lower price to buy rugby and sealant.
“They will filch anything they see that can be a source of income for them to buy their rugby and sealants,” says Arnel Cueto, a concerned citizen here.
However, he said that not all addicts are pilfering just to buy for their vices; some are like “Danny” who works hard to purchase it.
Muntinlupa City won a Galing Pook Award in 2003 for the work of the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Office (DAPCO) that does surveillance and drug buy-bust operations.
The city even has its own drug-testing laboratory that can screen for the use of marijuana, shabu, and ecstacy, while the local government also operates a Muntinlupa Renewal Home to rehabilitate drug dependents. Muntinlupa also has Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs), as well as a text hotline.
But a staff of DAPCO who refuses to be identified said that while there is no specific ordinance against Vulca Seal and rugby use, both substances are technically covered by the city’s anti-drug laws.
Adrian Stewart Co, a third year Journalism student of UST, submitted this story for his Newspaper Practice and Management class.
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