ILOILO CITY – The Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) welcomed Monday, Aug. 29, the offer of Mayor Jerry Treñas of a cash reward for successful anti-drug operations.
“The mayor’s offer is most welcome,” said Police Major Shella Mae Sangrines, ICPO spokesperson.
Trenas dangled the reward as the number of drug busts in Iloilo City, the regional capital of Western Visayas, increased.
“We should not allow the drug menace to affect our communities. We should all work together to eradicate this,” Treñas said.
Sangrines said that even without the mayor’s offer, the ICPO led by Police Col. Leo Batiles is continuing their operations against the illegal drugs trade.
Iloilo City had garnered national attention when former President Duterte dubbed it as the most “shabulized” (place where shabu is most readily available) in the country during the time of former Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.
While the former President was not able to prove that it was the center of the illegal drugs trade, officials have long tried to work together to reverse the public perception.
The reward offer also came after drug suspect Jerome Dequiña, who earlier claimed to be a job hire at the Iloilo City Hall, was arrested in a buy-bust operation and yielded P1.3-million worth of suspected shabu.
Treñas denied that Dequiña worked for the Iloilo City government.