Mayor dismayed on hike in drug affected barangays
BAGUIO City Mayor Mauuricio Domogan expressed disappointment over the increase in the city’s drug affected barangays from six to 24 despite the aggressive implementation of interventions to achieve a drug free city.
Based on the report of the Baguio City Po- lice Office (BCPO), the Regional Oversight Committee chaired by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) elevated to drug affected some 18 barangays in the city this year which was added to the 6 drug affected barangays last year that resulted to the increase to 24 the drug affected barangays in the city to date.
The local chief executive said it is unfortunate there are drug surrenderers who simply voluntarily give themselves up to the combined police and anti-narcotics authorities for compliance sake but they actually go back to the pursuit of their illegal activities which is one of the reasons why the city has not yet been cleared from the proliferation of prohibited drugs.
“Our newly elected barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials have a tough job ahead of them because of the need to further enhance our aggressive anti-illegal drug campaign to eventually stop the illegal drug trade in our city. We are wondering why there are still individuals who continue to ply the illegal drug trade when there has been a strong warning from the national and local governments for them to stop the said illegal activity,” Domogan stressed.
Domogan added the recent shootout between illegal drug traders and law enforcers along Lower Rock Quarry only shows there are still unscrupulous individuals involved in the illegal drug trade who are willing to risk their lives just for them to be able to continue selling prohibited drugs, thus, the need for barangay officials to be able to closely work together so that they will be able to rid their areas of jurisdiction from the presence of drug personalities and help the law enforcement agencies and the local government achieve a drug free city.
The mayor ordered BCPO officials to check
with the Regional Oversight Committee the re-inclusion of the 18 barangays in the city as drug affected barangays so that they will be able to strategize the implementation of the appropriate measures on how to neutralize the presence of drug personalities in the said barangays and revert back their classification to drug cleared barangays.
Domogan claimed there are also some drug surrenderers from other places in the country who came to the city to ply the illegal drug trade with the hope that they will be able to continue trading prohibited drugs without knowing that law enforcers are on alert against those individuals involved in the illegal drug trade.