By Zaldy Comanda
BAGUIO CITY— The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Cordillera reported that the confiscation and destruction of P31.8 million worth of illegal drugs in two months, from April to June 17.
PDEA logo
(Manila Bulletin)
PDEA Regional Information Officer Atty. Frederick Joseph Calulut said this is a result of the intensified campaign of the government anti-illegal drugs to sustain the effort to eradicate the problem in the region with the collaborated effort of the agency, the police and the Armed Forced of the Philippine (AFP).
Calulut said that regular monitoring at the mountains as well as in the towns has led to numerous positive operations where they were able to confiscate shabu, marijuana in its different forms as well as the eradication operations on plantation sites.
During the Regional Development Council (RDC) meeting last June 18, the PDEA reported that there were 130 operations conducted by the law enforcers.
These operations led to the seizure of 92 grams of shabu; 1,682 grams of marijuana bricks; 7 grams of marijuana sticks; 5.11 grams of marijuana fruiting tops; 157,400 pieces of marijuana plants and 9,600 marijuana seedlings.
There were also 45 persons engaged in the illegal drug activity who were arrested during the period.
The region has 75 drug barangays out of the 1,175. Baguio city has the most number with 24; Abra has 12; Ifugao has 6 and Benguet has 5 aside from the 47 barangays in the list provided by the PDEA central office to the region.
It was learned that prior to the meeting of the regional oversight committee in March, Cordillera only has 8 drug affected barangays. The PDEA officers said that the law enforcers in the region are continuously intensifying their operation to stop the illegal drug trade as well as to eliminate the sources of marijuana through eradication operations. ###