By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Illegal drugs sold in Western Visayas (Region 6) are becoming more expensive due to scarcity, a report from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-6) revealed.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, also the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC-6) chairman, during its second quarterly meeting, said this is due to a supply shortage of drugs in the region, adding that the entry of illegal drugs has been controlled.
“This is an indication that the shabu supply in Negros is low,” Lacson said.
Based on data presented, 90.25 percent of barangays in Western Visayas have been declared drug-cleared.
Out of 601 barangays in Negros Occidental, 396 have been declared drug-cleared, 12 are drug-free, while 193 undergo clearing.
The province has an accomplishment rate of 68.89 percent with a total P9 million worth of seized illegal drugs.
In capital Bacolod City, only 14 out of 61 villages have been declared drug-cleared, with a 22.95 percent accomplishment rate.
Further information revealed by PDEA-6 shows that Western Visayas ranks second among the 16 regions in the country with the highest average retail price of shabu at P9,122 per gram, after Metro Manila at P14,333 a gram.
PDEA-6 also reported they are not monitoring any chemical warehouses or clandestine drug laboratories in the region.
Region 6 was considered a consuming and transshipment point, the report said.
56 cops ‘negative’
Meanwhile, 56 police officers from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) tested negative for illegal drug use.
The surprise drug testing was conducted when Police Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor, acting police regional director in Western Visayas, visited NOCPPO headquarters at Camp Alfredo Montelibano, Sr. in Bacolod City’s Barangay Estefania.
Villaflor said the drug tests are in connection with the five-point agenda by Philippine National Police chief, Benjamin Acorda, Jr. for the enhancement of police officers’ integrity.
Among the police officers who underwent drug testing were NOCPPO director Police Colonel Leo Pamittan, staff, police chiefs in the province, and others, the press release said./DGB, WDJ