MORE than 80,000 fully grown marijuana plants worth P32 million were uprooted and burned during a joint police and military operation in the mountain village of Gaas, Balamban, Cebu on Tuesday morning, Sept. 24, 2019.
Balamban Mayor Alex Binghay, who witnessed the operation, observed that it was the biggest haul in the past three decades. He said the marijuana plantation in his town has been a problem since the 1980s.
Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) Director Roderick Mariano said the operation happened after they received a tip from a concerned citizen about the existence of the marijuana plantation. A surveillance, he said, confirmed the information.
Personnel from the CPPO, Philippine Drugs and Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 and the 47th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army took part in the uprooting of marijuana plants.
Around 7 a.m. Tuesday, the raiding teams arrived in Sitio Quo, Gaas. The area is about 20 kilometers from the main highway in Barangay Gaas.
No cultivators were caught in the plantation. However, the police learned of their names and they divulged them to the reporters—Tisi Palando, Rodrigo Cabalis and Lordi Pragosa.
The marijuana plants were already due for harvest, according to the PDEA 7. After getting permission from the PDEA 7, the police burned the plants in the area as they could not carry all the contraband to the CPPO headquarters in Cebu City.
Strong demand
Binghay said the strong demand for marijuana is one of the reasons why some farmers would resort to planting it.
The mayor identified the mountain barangays of Bakong, Magsaysay and Gaas as places that teem with marijuana plantations.
“Planting marijuana is very attractive because selling and distributing it is very easy—its big money. We will just have to keep reminding the public of the danger it poses,” Binghay said.
The CPPO is also closely monitoring other plantations in Balamban which would be subjected to another operation. FROM AYB OF SUPERBALITA CEBU / MVG