CCPO tells stations: Exert more effort

CEBU, Philippines - As the government crackdown against illegal drugs continues, the Cebu City Police Office has reminded its police stations that have low accomplishments to exert more effort and intensify their anti-drug operations.

“Although maganda ang performance nila (police stations), they have to exert more effort kasi kailangan natin malinis ang Cebu City,” said Senior Superintendent Joel Doria, CCPO director.

He mentioned Police Station 6 (Taboan) as the top performing precinct in the anti-drug effort, with a total of 250 drug pushers and users arrested, including two of the 15 pushers in their drug watchlist. The station covers barangays Taboan, Calamba, San Nicolas Proper, Pahina San Nicolas, Sawang Calero, Suba, and Pasil.

The same station recently faced the limelight after Mayor Tomas Osmeña announced his plan that the city government will not give an allowance to the station’s personnel following reports that they engaged in illegal gambling right and have failed to address gambling problems.

Station 6 was followed by Police Station 11 (Mambaling) with 174 arrests, then Police Station 1 (Pari-an) and Station 4 (Mabolo) with 172 arrests each.

Station 11’s area of responsibility includes barangays Mambaling, Duljo-Fatima, and Basak-San Nicolas. Station 1 is concerned about barangays Cogon-Ramos, Zapatera, Lorega-San Miguel, Day-as, T. Padilla, San Antonio, Kamagayan, Parian, Tinago, and San Roque, while Station 4 covers barangays Banilad, Apas, Kasambagan, Lahug, Luz, Mabolo, and Hipodromo.

Police Station 8 (Talamban) comes with the least number of arrested drug suspects at 64 with four persons killed in police operations. It has a total of 18 drug pushers and users in its watchlist but none has been arrested or neutralized so far. Its areas of concern are barangays Agsungot, Binaliw, Pit-os, Pulangbato, Bacayan, San Jose and Talamban.

From July 1 to November 18,  a total of 1, 258 drug users and 335 pushers were arrested. At least 18 drug suspects were killed in the operations after they allegedly tried to shoot it out with the police.

Doria said the low turnout of arrests of drug suspects does not mean poor performance since some also did well in other operations such as against illegal gambling. (FREEMAN)