ILOILO – The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) is seeing a steady decline in the illegal drug trade here.
Police Colonel Adrian Acollador, IPPO director, cited the aggressiveness of police antidrug enforcement units and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). He also lauded the parallel activities of local government units (LGUs).
“The consistency in monitoring the movement of drug personalities and follow through with the drug surrenderees do help discourage the illegal trade,” Acollador said.
He believes that the steady decline in the number of arrested drug personalities indicates the effective drug demand-reduction efforts of the police and PDEA.
The Provincial Operations and Management Unit (POMU) of the IPPO reported 36 drug personalities were arrested from January to May this year – 94.28 percent lower than the 629 arrested drugs personalities in the same period seven years ago in 2016.
In the same period, for the last seven years, the following number of drug personalities was arrested: 2016 – 629; 2017 – 257; 2018 – 116; 2019 – 163; 2020 – 197; 2021 – 103; and 2022 – 36.
Acollador also attributed this to IPPO internal cleansing through random drug tests of personnel every month.
“We have to make sure our personnel, especially those in drug enforcement units, are not compromised to ensure the success of our anti-illegal drugs operations,” he said.
Acollador enjoins everyone not to be complacent.
“We should not lower our guard. Let us stay vigilant and be brave to fight illegal drugs,” he said./PN
