By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) Director, Police Colonel Leo Pamittan is calling law enforcement officials in the province to intensify their anti-illegal drug operations and to foster their partnerships with stakeholders.

According to Pamittan, a single solution can’t solve the problem of illegal drugs and points out that it would need several approaches, such as Community Based Rehabilitation Programs and information drives and lectures against illegal drug use.

The NOCPPO director said they have been relentless in pursuing drug traffickers and disrupting the supply chain together with their partners in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

“NOCPPO will exert all its efforts to significantly contribute to this multi-faceted endeavor to pursue a drug-free and safe community,” Pamittan said.

However, the problem continues to persist, and he said that they will remain to perform their duties.

“This does not reduce our drive to perform our duty, instead, it inspires us to do more, to innovate for a better solution, and to be persistent,” he said.

Over the weekend, drug enforcement teams recovered a total of P1.394 million worth of suspected shabu and arrested six suspects in four separate operations in the province, including Bacolod City.

On November 25, three family members in the city’s Barangay 2 were arrested during an operation that yielded P136,000 worth of the suspected illegal substance.

In the province’s Silay City, Delvie Rodrigues yielded P190,400 worth of suspected shabu during a search warrant operation in Barangay Guinhalaran.

A day later, Steve Silava was nabbed following a buy-bust that led to the recovery of P1.054 million worth of suspected shabu in Barangay 1A in the province’s Manapla town.

On the same day in Bacolod, Gilbert Dimson was arrested by operatives in Barangay Bata’s Purok Magbinuligay, who yielded 13 small sachets of suspected shabu./DGB, WDJ