Saturday, June 16, 2007 Kapangan winning war v. marijuana By Jane Cadalig
KAPANGAN is now winning its war against illegal marijuana plantations, which has put the town in a bad light for the past several years.
Kapangan Mayor Rogelio Leon said marijuana plantations are now moving far from the town and that more residents are assisting the local government and authorities in reporting areas where the illegal plant is cultivated.
"Marijuana plantations are moving (away) from Kapangan. Past eradications would reveal that plantations are in the borders of the municipality-far from the sitios where the illegal plant used to be cultivated," Leon said.
He said past eradications were recorded at the boundary of Kibungan and La Union, proofs that marijuana plant growers are moving away from the seven sitios that used to cultivate the illegal weed.
The Kapangan Municipal Government has introduced various livelihood programs to farmers to discourage them from engaging in illicit undertakings.
Leon earlier said he would meet with the newly elected officials of Kapangan to endorse to them the programs that need to be implemented even with the change in leadership.
He said the Municipal Government's programs on livelihood must be sustained so that farmers who have been engaging in growing illegal plants would not go back to this old practice.
Anthorium and silkworm production are among the alternative livelihood projects being pursued by the locality.
Sericulture or silk production is also a booming industry in Kapangan. Silk has been identified as the town's entry to One-Town-One-Product program of the government.
Leon said the Benguet Provincial Government must support the industry, adding that the province has a comparative advantage in producing quality silk, which commands higher price in the market.
"The support must not only be focused on Kapangan, but also on other municipalities that have the same climate with that of the town," Leon said.
The towns of Mankayan, Sablan and La Trinidad are also engaged in silkworm production.
