Tom slams report ranking Philippines amongleast peaceful

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippines would be a “violent” country to live in if President Rodrigo Duterte did not start cracking down on illegal drugs.

So said Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña after an international study that measures global peace ranked the Philippines as among the least peaceful countries in the world.

According to the 139-page Global Peace Index 2017 released this month, the Philippines ranked 138th among the 163 nations. The study said the Philippines’ overall score has deteriorated since Duterte took office in June 2016.

But Osmeña said the country’s peace and order has actually improved owing to Duterte’s war on illegal drugs.

“I’ll tell you my opinion, if Duterte did not kill those pushers, the country is much worse off today. If Yawa (Rowen “Yawa” Secretaria) was still there, if Jaguar (Jeffrey Diaz) was still there…Do you think we can be more peaceful?” Osmeña asked.

“How many people killed? 7, 000? Just bring them back…Do you think it would be more peaceful?” he added.

‘Change’

To help drug dependents who wanted to change, Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse and Prevention (COSAP) chief Garry Lao is eyeing a program that will involve them in art, reading, and storytelling.

“That’s part of socialization. Those who are introvert can express themselves through art,” he said, adding that his office will partner with the management of the city’s public library to realize the program.

Lao said they will also conduct a room-to-room seminar on the ill effects and consequences of illegal drugs use in all public schools in the city starting next month.

Meanwhile, the city government’s 22 employees, whose offices are located at the Cebu City Public Library, have been tested negative in a surprise drug test conducted by COSAP yesterday.

Drug ops

At least seven were arrested and around P500,000 worth of suspected shabu were seized in separate police operations in Talisay City and Consolacion town, Cebu.

The police confiscated suspected shabu weighing 30 grams amounting to P354,000 in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Pulpogan, Consolacion Wednesday evening. A 28-year-old woman and three others were also arrested.

During the operation, Rona Mae Escalawan allegedly tried to escape after sensing that she was transacting with a police poseur-buyer.  She ran into a shanty with responding police on her tail.

The incident also led to the arrest of three other drug suspects Roger Blanco, 47, Jundel Flores Dinawanao, 27, and Jeb Judilla, 28, who were caught having a drug session inside the shanty. The suspects are now detained at the Consolacion Police Station pending the filing of charges against them today.

In Talisay City, the police confiscated P118,000 worth of suspected shabu from three drug suspects following a series of anti-illegal drug operations yesterday. Other suspect, however, was able to evade arrest

One of the suspects, 27-year-old Ardy Canilla, a resident of Sitio Sto Niño, Cogon Pardo, was arrested after he tried to enter a house owned by a certain Joel Diluvio at Corono Del Mar Subdivision in Barangay Pooc. Recovered from his possession were two medium packs of suspected shabu worth P118,000 and a Louis Vuitton's designer bag worth P50,000. —  Odessa O. Leyson, Iris Mariani B. Algabre, and Niña Lyka G. Modelo and Frazene Dolly E. Alterado (FREEMAN)