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BY RUBY SILUBRICO
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Sunday , September 10, 2017
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ILOILO City – There will be no letup in the campaign against illegal drugs in the city, said Senior Superintendent Henry Biñas.
The newly appointed officer-in-charge of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) stressed that crimes are tied to drugs.
The deaths of drug lord Richard Prevendido and suspected drug lord Melvin Odicta Sr. are not a reason to relax the crackdown, Biñas said during his first conference with his staffers and the six district police chiefs.
“We will not stop fighting illegal drugs. We have to operate against identified drug pushers,” he said. “As long as illegal drugs exist, crimes will happen.”
Biñas, a native of Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, was assigned to lead the ICPO last week.
He replaced Senior Superintendent Remus Zacharias Canieso, who was transferred to the Police Regional Office 6 as chief of the directorial staff.
A member of the Philippine National Police Academy Class of 1995, Biñas was director of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office prior to his transfer to this city.
While fighting illegal gambling and the internal cleansing of the local police force are among his priorities, Biñas said he is giving more attention to the antidrug campaign – a thrust of the Duterte administration.
Information from the community and the media will help a lot in the campaign, Biñas said.
“The community and members of the media play a big role here,” he stressed. “They might have information that could help us.”
“Ang community amo gid ang may ihibalo sa ila area,” Biñas said. “We assure them that we will verify and act on all reports nga ihatag nila sa aton.”
“We are really serious” in the antidrug campaign, he added. “If you do not eliminate drugs, the crimes will still be there.”
Odicta and wife Meriam were shot to death at the jetty port in Barangay Caticlan, Malay, Aklan on Aug. 29 last year.
Prevendido, on the other hand, was shot and killed after resisting arrest in a house he was renting in Barangay Balabago, Jaro district on Sept. 1.
Police said they were out to serve an arrest warrant to Prevendido when the latter fired at them, prompting them to fire back.
Prevendido’s son Jason also died in the operation conducted by the Iloilo Police Provincial Office, ICPO and Regional Intelligence Division.
Earlier, Biñas said he would carry on with all ICPO programs and projects related to the antidrug campaign. “Illegal drugs [are] a nationwide problem. This is our top priority.”/PN
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