Relentless campaign
Based on the frequency of seizures across the province these past few days, it will certainly take a long time and a lot of work before Cebu can be cleared of the presence of illegal drugs as far as the Philippine National Police is concerned.
During his visit to Cebu last week, PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde declared that because of the huge amounts of illegal drugs confiscated, the police still have a lot of catching up to do against those involved in the business.
"Hindi pa rin naman din na-clear ang Cebu… marami pa din namang nakukuha sa province of Cebu and, I think, hindi pa natin totally ma-declare drug-free ang Cebu with all recoveries. Siguro, sa tingin ko, kailangan natin magtrabaho," he told reporters.
The country's top policeman was echoing the previous statements of President Rodrigo Duterte who put the province, on several occasions, on top of the list of areas seriously affected by drugs. In fact, he repeatedly singled out some local personalities for their involvement in the illegal trade.
Yes the seriousness of illegal drugs' proliferation in Cebu is indisputable. The fact that authorities would always score big in their daily operations is a testament that such prohibited business remains brisk and that drugs are still selling like hotcakes.
While Cebu is considered an illegal drug hotspot, it's good that authorities have not slackened the pressure on the illegal trade as they continue to aggressively go after those involved. Those millions worth of drugs recovered these past few days are just a proof that the crusade will continue without letup.
However, our local officials should refrain from being too obsessed with the drug-free thing. There's no such thing as a drug-free area because illegal drugs will continue to exist even if the government will exhaust all its resources in the campaign.
Our only consolation is that the police and other agencies are doing their very best against such menace. The huge amounts of illegal drugs recently seized are concrete evidence that the authorities are relentless in their offensive against those involved.