High-value drug targets rise to nearly 10,000

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has identified more “high-value” drug personalities who will be the subject of the government’s war on drugs, PNP chief Oscar Albayalde said Monday, August 20.

Albayalde said since the recalibration of the PNP’s campaign on criminality and illegal drugs on July 30, 106 more high-value drug personalities were identified. This brings the number of high-value targets (HVT) to 9,972.

Of the total, 1,003 HVTs are the subject of police interdiction operations through buy-bust operation and service of warrants of arrest and search warrants.

He said as of August 15, 258 HVTs were killed during police operations. A total of 4,959 HVT personalities have surrendered and are now under monitoring and evaluation while 2,825 others, or 28.32 percent of the total listed HVTs, were arrested and charged.

Albayalde said 654 HVTs can no longer be located in their last known addresses and areas of operation while 322 others had become victims of homicide cases which are now being investigated.

Asked why the number of illegal drugs personalities is increasing despite the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs, Albayalde said, “actually ito ‘yung resulta ng pagre-revalidate natin continuous kasi ito hindi tayo pwedeng mag-stick lang sa isang listahan remember ‘yung problema natin sa droga sabi nga ng pangulo its far from over kaya kailangan natin palaging inu-update ang listahan dito.”

He said it only means that the government should not stop or give up in its war on drugs.

“Hopefully hindi naman po beyond his term hopefully sana before his term we would be able to atleast mailagay ‘yung drug problem talagang negligible na ito ‘yung gusto nating mangyare even before his term will end maging negligible na problem on illegal drugs,” said Albayalde.

Albayalde said an indication that the government is winning against illegal drugs is the stable peace and order situation in the country.

“Hindi kasi talaga natin ma-quantify yan, ‘yung problema natin on illegal drugs kasi every now and then may lumalabas na ganyan at every now and then may nakukuha pa tayo na kilo-kilo talaga na meron pa rin tayong nababalitaan na allegedly may nakalusot pa or pumapasok dito coming from the shores,” he said.

“Kaya hindi natin ma-quantify what are the indication that we see ay mga magagandang indication lang is the improvement on our peace and order doon lang tayo nagba-base but on i-quantify natin ang problema sa illegal na droga hind natin ma-quantify yan. Kasi we do not know the exact amount or even the estimate kung gaano pa karami ang nandito sa loob ng Pilipinas kung ilan pa talaga na umiikot na illegal drugs sa ating bansa.

Albayalde said from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018, the total crime volume fell by 20.4 percent compared to the previous total crime volume for the same period from 2014 to 2016, the last two years of the former administration.

He said index crimes decreased by 46.95 percent. Crimes against persons were lower by 30.42 percent and crimes against property declined by 56.16 percent. (SunStar Philippines)

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