Since start of year: P37 million in pot uprooted

CEBU, Philippines — Just for the first month and first half of February this year, the Cebu City Provincial Police Office reported uprooting around P37 million worth of marijuana plants.

According to CPPO director, Police Colonel Roderick Mariano, these eradicated fully-grown marijuana plants were mostly from plantations discovered in Balamban town, particularly in Barangay Quo, and Toledo City.

Mariano said marijuana cultivators prefer this area since it is usually cold, and lower temperatures are ideal to grow marijuana.

“Pangalawa, mahirap puntahan tong mga areas nato unless na meron talagang magsabi sa atin na may nakatanim, kaya doon natin napupuntahan,” Mariano said.

Mariano also said that barangay officials also helped them find these plantations and even took them there.

“Ang masasabi ko lang na mismo na ang community na mismo ay tumutulong na sa atin pag may nakita sila mismo na mga marijuana plantations, o mga nagtatanim pa lang na kahit maliliit pa lang ay nire-report na nila,” he added.

At present, Mariano said that they have yet to monitor any other areas or marijuana plantations aside from the mentioned places.

He further stated that considering that the areas of Toledo City and Balamban were wide, they intensified their regular patrolling in the area with the deployment of the Provincial Mobile Force Battalion.

“Minsan pag nadadaanan nila, ini-eradicate din nila kaagad,” Mariano said.

At present, Mariano said that they have a continuous coordination with the barangays in terms of their community engagement and information drive along with the livelihood programs that the local government has offered to the public.

Arrests of suspects during operations like these are usually rare because plantation caretakers often see policemen coming from some distance away.

The CPPO also reported that since January 2019, they have eradicated a total of P272 million worth of marijuana plants. (FREEMAN)