TAGBILARAN
CITY, June 18 (PIA) –Only 251 of Bohol’s 1,109 barangays stand out unaffected
by drugs, a report from the Regional Peace and Order Council meeting recently
showed.
The
picture proved alarming as this constitutes only about 22.63% of Bohol’s
barangays remaining drug-free while some 858 barangays are in different states
of drug affectation.
Deputy
Director for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Wardley Getalla, in
his report before the region’s peace and order council chiefs, said, out of the
region’s 2,446 barangays, some 1,194 or 48.81%, are drug affected in any form:
from slight to moderate and then seriously affected.
While
Cebu, which is largely where the bulk supply of drugs going to Bohol comes
from, has 1,203 barangays, some 912 barangays remain unaffected.
With
only 22% of Bohol barangays remaining steadfast, Cebu contends with 75% of its
barangays clean.
In
the report, Director Getalla also showed that 566 of Bohol’s barangays are
slightly affected, 284 as moderately affected and 8 barangays seriously
affected.
In
Cebu, only 80 are slightly affected, 206 moderately affected and 22 seriously
affected.
For
Siquijor, regional drug enforcement records showed that 89 of 184 barangays or
66.41% of barangays in the island province remain unaffected.
This
as PDEA 7 showed 12 Siquijor barangays slightly affected and 33 barangays
moderately affected.
Siquijor
owns no barangays in serious drug affectation.
As
per Dangerous Drugs Board categorization on drug affectation, slightly affected
means there is the existence of drug users [in the barangays,] but [there is] no
known drug pushers/traffickers.
By
moderately affected, it means there is in existence, at least one suspected
pusher/trafficker, Dir Getalla explained.
By
seriously affected, it means there is the existence of at least one suspected
drug laboratory, drug den, drug dive, drug resort, or similar establishments.
This too as PRO 7 admitted, “street-level
drug pushing is rampant in the region, with drug dens abounding in slum areas.”
Another
thing that complicates the police pursuit of neutralizing drugs, is the
apparent use of a loophole in the law.
“Drug
syndicates employ couriers, including minors, who are well briefed on their
lack of criminal culpability, when dealing with large amounts of drugs in order
to evade arrest,” Getalla said.
“Drug
dealers use money remittance centers and banks for financial transactions,” he
continued.
The
regional authorities also reported that even in their being put in jails, some
enterprising drug personalities continue their operations by remote.
“Drug
trafficking activities of arrested persons continue despite being incarcerated,
through cellular phone communications and visitors,” according to PDEA.
This
is especially true as Bohol District Jail guards intercepted countless attempts
to smuggle drugs into the facility. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
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