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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Saturday, April 29, 2017
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ILOILO City – Without the help of barangay officials, the government’s campaign against illegal drugs is a “losing fight,” stressed Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) regional director Gil Pabilona.
Barangay officials have better knowledge on the drug situation in their respective villages, Pabilona said.
“If we have to rely only on the resources of law enforcement (units), fighting against illegal drugs will be a losing fight,” he said during the joint meeting of the Iloilo City Peace and Order Council and the Iloilo City Anti-Drug Abuse Council.
During the meeting, Father Esperidion “Boy” Celis of the St. Anne Parish in Molo district opined that as drug personalities get arrested in police operations, more are engaging in the illegal trade.
“By June, we will already be one year in this game. Are we winning?” Celis asked Pabilona.
Cooperation from barangay officials is crucial, Pabilona said.
“[This is why] we conduct barangay drug-clearing operations where barangay officials and other stakeholders get involved, including the Church,” he said.
When President Rodrigo Duterte declared a war against drugs, the PDEA and other law enforcement agencies prioritized the “big fish” in Iloilo City in a bid to dismantle the drug network, said Pabilona.
Aside from running after drug personalities, an “alternative” way of addressing drug problem is providing the reformed ones with a source of livelihood, he said.
Sixty-four of the 193 drug personalities in the PDEA and Iloilo City Police Office watch lists have been seized, Pabilona said.
A total of 3,180 drug surrenderers were recorded as of April 25. Of the number, 1,332 were profiled and documented, while the rest will be revisited for profiling.
Of the surrenderers, 2,910 were in the lists submitted by the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADAC) as of the last quarter of 2016.
“We would like to point out that barangay officials regularly submitted BADAC lists to us,” Pabilona said.
Celis asked the PDEA to give a breakdown of the profiles of drug personalities.
“We are at a loss on what we are addressing here,” the priest said. “Are we talking about young people, middle-aged people or senior citizens?”
Celis also stressed that it is important that druggies undergoing rehabilitation are indeed getting the right treatment. (With PNA/PN)
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