ILOILO City – The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has claimed to be winning the war against illegal drugs.
“Our fight is successful. We have not monitored malalaking grupo na nag–o-operate dito dahil sa mga sunod-sunod na operations natin na malaki ang nakuha na druga,” said Police Brigadier General Flynn Dongbo, Western Visayas police director, citing data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 6.
The improving peace and order situation across the region is also indicative of the success of the antidrug campaign, he added.
Since January this year, antidrug operations have intercepted P75.6-million worth of illegal drugs across Western Visayas, and the bulk of this was from Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.
“This is a clear manifestation that we are winning the war against illegal drugs,” said Dongbo.
The region’s top cop said the focus is in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City because there are no more big drug groups in Iloilo.
He said the supply of illegal drugs in Iloilo dramatically declined after the death of three big drug group leaders – Melvin Odicta in 2016, Richard Prevendido in 2017 and Ernesto Bolivar in 2021.
Odicta and wife Meriam were shot dead the Caticlan Jetty Port in Malay, Aklan on Aug. 29, 2016.
Prevendido was killed in a shootout with policemen in Barangay Balabago, Jaro, Iloilo City on Sept. 1, 2017.
Bolivar was believed to have died due to coronavirus disease 2019 while hiding in Metro Manila last year./PN
