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Monday, April 14, 2003
Bacolod, 2 cities ‘drug alarming’
By Roberto L. Bacasong
THREE cities in Western Visayas, including Bacolod City, have been tagged as "drug alarming" cities or areas where entry of illegal drugs is a most potent threat, according to Chief Supt. Marcelo Navarro Jr., regional police director.
Navarro, who was in Bacolod Sunday to attend the Philippine National Police Regional Conference at the Bacolod Convention Plaza Hotel, identified the two other cities as Iloilo and Roxas, in Capiz.
If the city is densely-populated there are more chances for the entry of illegal drugs, said Navarro who explained that drug couriers would choose to operate their illegal trade in cities where more people usually converge, like the three mentioned cities.
However, Senior Supt. George Bajelot, city police director, said Bacolod is not much affected by illegal drugs. He said the tag on Bacolod City as one of the ‘drug alarming’ cities is only normal since the city is categorized as a highly-urbanized city.
Bajelot said the personnel of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) are doing their best in their campaign against illegal drugs.
Not as worse
On the other hand, Navarro said that the drug situation in Region VI is better compared to that of regions three and four.
He also stressed that the illegal drug menace is not solely the concern of the police hierarchy but the community as well, including the church, family, and the local government units.
Aside from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), which is the government’s main agency to counter illegal drugs, other sectors of society are also needed to dessiminate information to the public, Navarro said.
The private sector should likewise help in the drive to rid the society of illegal drugs, he added.
Also present in Sunday’s conference were Director General Virtus Gil, national police deputy chief for operations who was also the guest speaker; Senior Supt. Vicente Ponteras, provincial police director; the 10 Police Station chiefs of BCPO; personnel of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group; and other top-ranking police officers in Region VI, among others.
Gil said the PDEA could not answer all the complaints on the proliferation of illegal drugs as it has only 600 personnel.
To augment its manpower, they are tapping the support of the local government units and the barangay tanods.
He also vowed to act on complaints that there are policemen who engage in the illegal drug trade and to reports that some of them even plant evidence against the drug suspects.
(April 14, 2003 issue)
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