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[av_heading heading=’No more illegal drugs in Guimaras?’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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ILOILO City – The island province of Guimaras is now free from illegal drugs, claimed the Guimaras Police Provincial Office (GPPO).
“All five towns have been cleared. We won the fight against illegal drugs,” said Senior Superintendent Louis Garong, Guimaras police director.
In making such claim, Garong cited the reports of various barangay and municipal antidrug abuse councils in the island province.
“We cleared all drug-affected barangays,” he said.
Guimaras is made up of five towns – Buenavista, Jordan, Sibunag, San Lorenzo, and Nueva Valencia – and 98 barangays.
GPPO previously listed 77 drug-affected villages and 17 drug pushers in Guimaras.
Of the 17 drug pushers, five were arrested and 11 surrendered, said Garong.
One fled from the island province and had not returned, he added.
But the GPPO remained constantly on guard, stressed Garong. The police office is wary of drug surrenderers returning to their illegal activities, and the possible entry of new illegal drug trade players in Guimaras.
“This is why we have police liaison officers tasked to regularly monitor and assess every barangay’s drug-affectation status,” said Garong.
Also of interest to the GPPO are the many beach resorts in Guimaras.
“Some of their visitors could be into illegal drugs,” said Garong, “so we appeal to the owners and managers to help us.”
Gov. Samuel Gumarin recently expressed hope that his province would be the second in the country to be declared drug-free, next to Bataan.
There were no big suppliers of illegal drugs in Guimaras, no illegal drug laboratories and very few drug users, he stressed.
“A drug-free status would be good to our tourism industry,” said Gumarin.
Guimaras is known for its sweet mangoes, pristine beaches and dive sites./PN
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