THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) was able to neutralize 60 percent of drug personalities in Negros Oriental as of October.

Fernando Martinez, action officer of the Negros Oriental Drug Abuse Prevention Council (NORDAPC), bared this during a talk with members of the media recently.

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Martinez said more than 60 percent of the 420 identified drug personalities in the PDEA watch list have been arrested, while unknown assailants had killed some of them.

"Some have lied low and some have undergone voluntary rehabilitation while some have simply resigned from illegal drug activities," said Martinez.

However, he said there are also several new names that need to be included in the list.

Inspector Edgar Deposoy of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (PAIDSOTF), in his report during the same forum, said that a total of 98 illegal drug pushers and users have been arrested from January to October 2008.

Of the total, 32 are drug pushers and 66 are drug users.

The arrests have led to 96 cases filed in court for violation of Republic Act (RA) 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, while cases involving minors have been turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), according to Deposoy.

Deposoy said six groups have been identified to be distributing illegal drugs in the province, two of which are from Dumaguete and four are based in Guihulngan and its neighboring towns.

He said 101 of the 557 villages in Negros Oriental are now drug affected.

The shoreline villages of Negros Oriental are considered possible distribution routes of illegal drugs.

Methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu remains the commonly used illegal substance, said Deposoy, while marijuana, which mostly come from Cebu and Mindanao, is in the second rank.

He confirmed that there are also small-time marijuana planters in Negros Oriental.

Meanwhile, Martinez said the province's relentless anti-illegal drugs campaign has pushed the prices of illegal drugs to go up.

The street value of shabu went up from P3,000 to as high as P12,000 to P15,000 per gram, Martinez said, adding that marijuana is currently sold at P10 per stick or P600 per kilo.

For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga.

(November 17, 2008 issue)
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