Cops turn to school in its anti drug war

IT’S TIME to hit the schools.

With its relentless drive against illegal drugs, the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera region is turning into schools.

Just recently, PRO-COR and five

colleges in the Baguio City and Benguet signed a Memorandum of Agreement in guiding and helping the schools formulate their anti illegal drug campaign.

Representatives from the Baguio College of Technology, Cordillera Career Development College, Easter College, King's College of the Philippines, Philippine Women's University CDCEC Baguio) and PRO - COR regional director, Chief Superintendent Elmo Francis Sarona.

The MOA hopes for the active participation of the five schools in drug abuse prevention programs and training activities initiated by government organizations and civil society organization in the community as part of their extension services/co-curricular activities.

“With this partnership, we can map out and help the schools come up with programs and probably curriculum on drug prevention,” Sarona said during the culmination of the 22nd Police-Community Relations Month recently at Camp Bado Dangwa in La Trinidad, Benguet with the theme: “Police and Community: Sharing Responsibility, Taking Action in Unity”.

Sarona earlier pointed out the region remains committed to President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs leading to the confiscation of close to P6 billion worth of illegal drugs in the Cordillera.

With Cordillera as top marijuana producer in north Luzon, Sarona said P5,831,026,900 of weed were confiscated since last year, uprooting 28,995,522 plants, 30,050 seedlings, 700 marijuana stalks, 45 kgs. Seeds, 222 kgs. dried leaves,.25 kgs. bricks and .30 kgs. hashish.

Sarona added 276.8486 grams of shabu worth P1,661.092.60 were also confiscated by police while 1,907,480,000 worth of chloroform, an essential ingredient in making shabu were also seized.

The illegal substance was confiscated in August last year during a joint operation in Barangay Malekkeg, Santa Marcela, Apayao.

Sarona added police have also 743 barangays out of the 1,176 drug affected in the region but noted 21 barangays in Abra, and another 11 in Kalinga were reported to have barangays with remerged illegal drug activities.

During the intensified anti illegal drugs operations in the region, Sarona said authorities have also collared top illegal drug personalities in the Cordillera including the killing of Resty Sotero, the top drug personality in the region, during a police operation. Roderick Osis