Gullas wants checkpoints in Brgy. Tanke to continue
TO ENSURE intensified crackdown on illegal drugs, especially in Barangay Tanke, Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. wants to maintain police visibility in the area.
The neophyte mayor paid a courtesy call on the new head of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7, Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
During their meeting, Gullas asked Ferro that the City be allowed to keep the 30 personnel of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB) that were deployed to Tanke and Barangay San Roque to deter transactions involving illegal drugs.
Drug havens
The RMFB personnel were sent by Ferro’s predecessor, Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, last January to help the Talisay City Police Station (TCPS) implement non-stop checkpoints at the entry and exit points in Tanke and San Roque as these two villages had been identified as havens of illegal activities, including drug trafficking.
Talisay was mentioned as a drug-infested place by President Rodrigo Duterte during his Sinulog speech at the Cebu City Sports Center last Jan. 19.
“(I) had the honor of meeting our new Philippine National Police regional director. I paid a courtesy call to talk about the peace and order situation in the city, especially in Barangay Tanke,” Gullas said.
“I personally asked him that the 30 extra men from the RMFB, assigned by the PRO 7, be allowed to remain in Talisay City. They have done good things in Tanke since our 24-hour checkpoints in the area were implemented,” he added.
Ferro reportedly had no qualms about the mayor’s request.
Gullas also commended the TCPS, led by station chief Major Gerard Ace Pelare, for their unwavering efforts in the war on drugs.
“I’m very satisfied. That’s why the City Government will fully support all his programs when it comes to fighting the drug menace in the city,” Gullas said.