ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. instructed Police Brigadier General Sidney N. Villaflor, acting regional director of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6), to never cease campaigning against illegal drugs.
Villaflor made a courtesy visit to the governor on Thursday, June 8.
“Ang aton campaign sa drugs dapat indi mag-untat, indi maghinay. Isa na sa mga kinahanglan,” said Defensor.
For the whole month of May, Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) director, Police Colonel Ronaldo P. Palomo, had been aggressive in the campaign against illegal drugs.
“I have seen the numbers, and I am truly satisfied. Our operational accomplishments bespeak of our relentless efforts to make our province safer and more peaceful,” Palomo announced.
Citing the report from the Provincial Operations Management Unit, the aggressive campaign against illegal drugs resulted in the conduct of 17 drug operations, the arrest of 27 drug personalities, and the confiscation of 63.812 grams of shabu with a total value of P536,421.60.
Furthermore, Defensor also aims for all 1,721 barangays in the province to be declared drug-free.
Currently, 98.55 percent of the 1,721 barangays in the province are drug-free, data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP) showed.
“We still have barangays nga diutay na lang, indi pa drug-cleared. So we should chase the target,” added Defensor.
According to the PDEA, before a barangay could be declared free from illegal drugs, the oversight committee must validate the non-availability of illegal drugs in the area, the absence of drug transit activity, the absence of clandestine drug laboratories and chemical warehouses, the absence of marijuana cultivation sites, and the absence of drug dens, drug pushers, and drug users.
The oversight committee is composed of PDEA as chair and representatives from the PRO-6, the Department of Interior and Local Government, and Department of Health.
Defensor and Villaflor also discussed the peace situation in Iloilo.
He confirmed that he will convene the Peace and Order Council this week.
“Diri sa probinsya, related to our investment is our peace initiative, and we will try to be aggressive through our Localized Peace Engagement Council under the Peace and Order Council. We will convene next week and come up with measures so that we can have an aggressive peace program diri sa probinsya sang Iloilo,” he added.
The provincial government has been extending assistance to the Philippine National Police, such as the P11-million fund to the Passi City government for the road concreting going to the proposed IPPO headquarters in the city’s Barangay Sablogon./PN
