Editorial: Loud and clear

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

WHEN Senior Supt. Ronald dela Rosa assumed his post as director of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) last week, he had a firm idea on how he would deal with criminality in a metropolis as big as Davao. Knowing fully well where he stands in the fight against criminals, dela Rosa went directly against the motivation of most of the crimes that are being committed today -- illegal drugs.

Just days into his reign as DCPO chief, police authorities launched a series of operations against drug pushers in different parts of the city that resulted to the killing of one suspect and the arrest of five others. Most of the operations were conducted in Boulevard and Toril, two areas which Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte identified as a drop-off point for illegal drugs.

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With his men running after pushers, dela Rosa also gave a stern warning to policemen not to engage in illegal drugs for they will suffer the consequences of their action. He issued the warning at the start of the police revamp last Monday affecting two station commanders.

Dela Rosa delivered his message loud and clear, that he would punish anyone who will besmirch his name by engaging in villainous activities.

The people of Davao, like Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte and Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte herself, must be equally elated with the appointment of dela Rosa to the top DCPO post. Here comes a police officer who is determined to prevent, if not totally stop, illegal drugs from proliferating in the city. Here comes a very tough cop working religiously to maintain peace and order in the city, someone who is not afraid to fight criminals who are just lurking in the dark waiting for their prey.

While we initially hail his performance, we could not help but remind dela Rosa that he must also go for the big fish, or they are high-value targets in order to have a clear-cut breakthrough in the war against illegal drugs.

Based on records from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 11, it was able to arrest a total of 22 high-value targets in the region last year, most of them from Davao City. Two years ago or back in 2010, PDEA collared just seven from its operations.

Looking at the figures, illegal drugs continue to abound despite the full-blown campaign of PDEA and DCPO. This would mean that dela Rosa, in order to win the war against illegal drugs, really will have to go one notch higher in his campaign and this is to run after high-value targets who pester Davao with their notoriety.