743 brgys in region drug free
WITH ITS relentless effort of lessening the number of drug infected areas, the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera noted 743 barangays of the 1,176 were cleared from illegal drugs.
PRO-COR regional director Chief Superintendent Elmo Francis Sarona said with the 743, the region has the most number of drugcleared barangays during the first 10 months in office of President Rodrigo Duterte with 63 percent
the implementation of the Operation Plans (OPLANs) Double Barrel, Double Barrel Alpha and Double Barrel Reloaded, Sarona said there were 20,617 drug surrenderees in the region while 537 were arrested involved in the selling, transport and use of illegal drugs since June last year.
The other top two region which has a high rate of barangays cleared from drugs inc l u d e SOCCSKSARGEN with 597 cleared barangays out of the 1,195 barangays (49.96 percent) and Western Visayas with 838 out of 3,389 barangays (24.73 percent).
With the heightened campaign against illegal drugs, the PROCOR top cop added the region also registered a drop in crime volume from January to May 2017 compared to the same period in 2016.
Saron said the region posted 34 percent decrease in crime volume while index crime which include rape, theft, robbery, physical injuries decreased by 58.22 percent.
Non-index crimes which include vehicular traffic accident, illegal possession of firearms, and violence against women and children decreased by 21.88 percent, according to Sarona.
Sarona also bared since he assumed office last year, the regional police has conducted more than 400 operations in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency leading to the confiscation of P7.7 billion worth of illegal drugs bulk of it is the P5.8 billion marijuana.
Authorities in the region however said the campaign should not stop on arresting illegal drugs peddler as Senior Superintendent Benjamin Sembrano who heads the Regional Police Community Relations Division said Cordillera the conduct of information education campaigns (IEC) for a more massive dissemination of the ill effects of illegal drugs plays a vital role in their drive.
Sembrano said PRO- COR conducts lectures, symposium, dialogues, media exposures, internet presence and other available means to disseminate the information while aiding surrenderees to complete their drug rehabilitation program.
To date, at least 23 rehabilitation and wellness centers in the region are operated jointly or separately by the government and private sectors.
Just last week, La Trinidad recently graduated their first 33 drug surrenderees after completing a six month communitybased outpatient rehabilitation program. Roderick Osis