Barangay officials allegedly involved in illegal drug operations in Bacolod City are being monitored by the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO).

BCPO director, Colonel Joeresty Coronica, said some village officials in the city served as protectors of illegal drugs by failing to submit lists of the drug personalities within their barangays.

They are not consistent with their lists, as some drug personalities being monitored by the BCPO are not included, he said.

“The officials should have active support to address the illegal problems,” he said, adding they have a big role in addressing illegal drug operations within their villages.

Coronica said the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council has to identify drug personalities in their barangays; then the list will be submitted to the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council.

Earlier, the BCPO did not consider the recent seizure of large volumes of illegal drugs in Bacolod as alarming.

Coronica said Bacolod is the center of trade and transactions, and it is a transshipment point.

“It doesn’t mean that drugs recovered here will be consumed by drug personalities in Bacolod alone … They will be distributed [and consumed] somewhere else,” Coronica said.

A total of 1,065 grams of suspected shabu worth P7.24 million were confiscated by the BCPO from February 17 to 23, which also resulted in the arrest of 19 suspects./WDJ