DO POLICEMEN HAVE ‘QUOTA’ IN DRUG WAR?

WITHOUT an iota of doubt, the Police Regional Office 6’s (PRO-6) campaign against illegal drugs is intensifying. Almost every day drug suspects fall in buybust operations. Pwerte kapisan sang mga kapulisan. Others, however, are wondering kun may quota ang mga pulis. Haslo! What is quite strange kuno about these antidrug operations is that puro small fries ang gakadakpan – mga street-level drug pushers, runners and users. Nga-a wala gid kuno o may nadakpan nga suppliers of shabu and marijuana? Targeting only street-level drug pushers to combat drug trafficking is a poor strategy. For one, it does not address the root cause. Pushers are at the bottom of the drug distribution hierarchy. They are the most visible part of the drug trade but not the source. By focusing only on them, law enforcement doesn’t address the cause of the problem – the suppliers and producers of illegal drugs. As long as the demand for drugs exists, suppliers will find ways to distribute their products, replacing arrested street-level pushers with new ones. Haslo! In case the PRO-6 doesn’t notice it yet, there is a high turnover rate for streetlevel dealers. If one is arrested, another quickly takes their place. This is because the potential rewards often outweigh the risks for individuals in desperate socioeconomic situations. Therefore, targeting them does little to disrupt the overall drug supply chain. For sure, the PRO-6 knows this. So why are its policemen focused on going after the pushers only? Para ma- meet ang quota? Tarso!