Tuesday, November 11, 2008 Station chiefs urged to do 2 drugs operations a week By Ruby P. Silubrico
CHIEF Superintendent Isagani Cuevas of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Western Visayas repeated Monday his directive for all police chiefs in the region to conduct at least two operations a week to lessen the drug menace in the country.
Cuevas told his police chiefs anew to exert efforts to counter the drugs problem in their areas of responsibility. As much as possible, he added, they have to arrest not only small-time pushers but big-time drug personalities as well.
Recent evaluations made by the PRO-Western Visayas showed that 50 percent of the police chiefs in the region failed to comply with the instructions. They (police officers) would be called for explanation, said Cuevas.
Cuevas further instructed that those who failed to follow his order will be made to explain their poor performance, and if their explanation is not valid or could not satisfy him, they would suffer penalty or sanctions.
Cuevas created the Regional Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operation Group (Raidsog) last March, led by Chief Inspector Ramir Gallardo, to curb illegal drug trade in Western Visayas.
Raidsog records showed that at least 27 drugs personalities were arrested in eight months. The latest operation was last week at Boulevard, Molo, Iloilo City where two drugs pushers were nabbed.
The said operation resulted to the arrest of Jubert Echuna and Roland Alvarez of the said place. They sold a big sachet of shabu worth P600, and other illegal drugs were recovered from their possession, amounting to P10,500.
Meanwhile, to enhance drugs operations in the region, the Regional Personnel and Human Resource Division under Superintendent Rolen Balquin is being instructed to conduct seminars on anti-illegal drugs operations, particularly on legal and technical matters.
Balquin said that he is now preparing the said seminars.
