THE Police Regional Office-Cordillera (PRO-COR) scored anew in the fight against illegal drugs following the eradication of P63,423,800 worth of marijuana plants during the conduct of a one-week Simultaneous Anti–Criminality Law Enforcement Operations (Sacleo) from June 24 to 30, 2019.
The massive marijuana eradication campaign was jointly implemented by the personnel of Benguet Police Provincial Office (PPO), Kalinga PPO, Mountain Province PPO, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Cordillera (PDEA-CAR) and the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Badac) members of concerned municipalities.
Various operations were crafted to clear all drug-affected barangays in Benguet, Kalinga and Mt. Province, with an initial casing and zeroing of target plantation sites made by the intelligence personnel prior to the implementation of the one-week operation.
Police Brigadier General Israel Ephraim Dickson, PRO–COR director, was overwhelmed with the significant accomplishment made in just a week and commended the operating units, while operations against marijuana will continue especially during this rainy season wherein marijuana plants grow fast.
“We need to sustain the operation and regularly visit those plantation areas to prevent the growth of the plants or to eradicate it if in case there is regeneration. We will continue to unfold more marijuana plantations to clear all barangays from illegal drugs,” Dickson said.
Dickson assures a strict implementation of anti-drug operations in the region will be implemented by PROCOR to rid if not reduce the supply of illegal drugs particularly marijuana, which is traced to be rampantly produced in some parts of the Cordillera.
In Benguet Province, P11,223,800 worth of assorted marijuana composed of 8,300 fully grown plants, 120 kilograms stalks, one kilo gram dried leaves, 100 sticks, and 1,000 seedlings were uprooted and burned onsite by the operatives of Benguet PPO, Provincial Maneuver Force Company (PMFC), Kibungan Municipal Police Station (MPS), PDEA-CAR, and members of Badac during the implementation of Oplan “Bushwacker” 2-2019 in seven different plantation sites in Barangay Tacadang and Brgy Palina, both in Kibungan, Benguet, Makmakyes/Las-igan, Cabitin, Mankayan, Benguet and Macagang, Kayapa, Bakun, Benguet.
In Kalinga Province, some P49.6 million worth of fully grown marijuana plants were also eradicated in Loccong, Tinglayan, Kalinga on June 28.
The 240,500 fully grown marijuana plants were discovered in nine plantation sites with a total land area of 14,200 square meter jointly operated by the personnel of Tinglayan MPS, Tanudan MPS, Kalinga PMFC, Kalinga PPO, PNP-DEG, SOU 1, PDEA Kalinga and Ifugao.
In Mountain Province, P2.6 million worth of fully grown marijuana plants were uprooted and burned at the boundaries of Sadanga, Mt Province and Bugnay, Tinglayan, Kalinga on June 28.
The 13,000 fully grown marijuana plants were discovered in two plantation sites jointly operated by the personnel of PMFC, Sadangga MPS, PHQ Mt Province PPO, PDEA Mt. Province, 22nd SAC, and 2SAB, SAF as part of the launching of Oplan “Teabag”.