ILOILO – From January to December 2018 various police units in this province arrested a total of 176 drug personalities in 127 antidrug operations, according to the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO).
In a report to Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr., IPPO director Senior Superintendent Marlon Tayaba also stated that 990.668 grams of shabu were confiscated last year.
Of the province’s 42 municipalities and one component city, the town of Estancia had the most number of arrested persons at 17, followed by Oton with 16 and Cabatuan with 13.
According to Tayaba, one of the provincial police’s biggest accomplishments last year was the arrest of couple Jose Alberto Pinaga and Maybell Belmonte at the seaport of Dumangas town on Jan. 28, 2018.
The couple yielded 935.68 grams of shabu valued at P11.2 million.
The 127 antidrug operations of the IPPO in 2018, however, were lower than the 223 operations it conducted in 2017.
The drop was due to the slowdown in drug trafficking activities in the province, explained Tayaba.
Identified drug leaders have been arrested or killed, he said, and many drug pushers and users agreed to undergo rehabilitation, he said.
The IPPO antidrug campaign, however, won’t stop, said Tayaba.
Governor Defensor congratulated the IPPO for its 2018 accomplishments in the drive.
Proof of the IPPO’s good performance, he said, was the Philippine National Police’s hailing of Tayaba as Best Senior Police Commissioned Officer for Operation in the country.
Tayaba was honored during the 117th Police Service Anniversary on Aug. 8, 2018 in Camp Crame.
“You deserve the special commendation for doing your job,” Defensor told Tayaba./PN
