By Perla Lena
ILOILO CITY – The Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 (Western Visayas) confiscated illegal drugs with an estimated street value of PHP43.8 million and arrested 177 suspects in April, officials reported Monday.
In a report, the PRO-6 said 137 anti-drug operations in the region led to the seizure of 6.4 kilograms of illegal drugs, and the arrest of 51 high-value individuals, 119 street-level individuals, and seven newly-identified personalities.
“As you can see, our operational accomplishments against illegal drugs have slightly gone down. We only got 6.4 kilos compared to March, of which we have almost eight kilos, and February, 11 kilos. One thing is sure, we will continue our operations against illegal drugs,” PRO6 director Brig. Gen Josefino Ligan said in a media conference.
Ligan said he hoped that other local government units would follow the lead of the provincial government of Iloilo of offering a bounty for information leading to the arrest of suspected drug pushers.
“It’s an initiative and a best practice for the Iloilo government. We are more than happy if other local governments will follow soon,” he said, adding that it is a big help if all stakeholder collaborate towards ending the illegal drug menace.
Ligan also credited the impact of the community-based rehabilitation for persons who use drugs (PWUDs) in the campaign, especially in the Barangay Drug Clearing Program.
Data showed that 17,311 PWUDs have graduated from community-based rehabilitation centers in Western Visayas during the first four months of the year. (PNA)
