SEN. Richard “Dick” J. Gordon over the weekend prodded President Duterte to send a diplomatic communication to Beijing officially requesting China to help block shipments of the highly addictive illegal- drug methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, to the Philippines.

“The Duterte administration should formally ask China, through a note verbale, to stop sending drugs here,” Gordon told reporters following a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Safety and Illegal Drugs, chaired by Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson Sr.

“They [Chinese authorities] should tell their people to stop the drug shipments [to the Philippines].”

Gordon said authorities already admitted obtaining “empirical data,” proving that the illegal-drug shabu supply being sold by pushers here all came from China.

“They [concerned Chinese officials in Beijing] should act now, check their customs people and tell them to stop shipments of shabu coming from there.” Gordon said.

He clarified he was “not saying it [shabu shipments from China to the Philippines] is state-sponsored, but many of the drugs come from them.”

In a separate interview, Director General Ronald dela Rosa, National Police chief, who also appeared as resource person in Lacson’s committee hearing, confirmed to reporters that Duterte had earlier affirmed his intention to do what Gordon had suggested.

“The President already said he would ask China to stop the illegal-drug shipments to the Philippines,” dela Rosa said, adding he will “remind the President about it” and check if a note verbale has been sent to Beijing.

At the same time, Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, who pushed for added air assets for the National Police in last year’s budget, pledged to support police efforts to secure fresh funding for the procurement of “modern surveillance equipment in relation to the government’s all- out war on drugs.”