Authorities conduct house visit to 15 drug surrenderers

CEBU, Philippines —  The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in coordination with the barangay officials and the Philippine National Police have conducted a house-to-house visitation to the 15 illegal drug surrenderers in Barangay Lorega, Cebu City.

This is in line with their barangay drug-clearing program that leads them into clearing their names.

Lorega barangay captain Fritzgerald Herrera said these 15 individuals they visited were considered “notorious” in the illegal drug trading before.

“Ato silang giuna kay it will rappel down sa mga sama nila sa area, kabantay ka atong giadto nga mga sama nila sa sitio, tag-usa, tagduha, but it will send a strong message to others, mao ni atong objective,” said Herrera

According to Herrera, they have visited the houses of these surrenderers following reports that they have returned to their illegal drug trading.

Herrera added that under the program of Cebu City Office on Substance Abuse Prevention, they can formally document all the surrenderers as they closely monitor them.

PDEA-7 Director Levi Ortiz said they will be undergoing intervention program.

“Kini man gud atong programa sa drug-clearing program, ato ni gitawag og whole nation approach, meaning to say, tanang sectors sa gobyerno, magtinabangay para ma-clear nato ang barangay,” said Ortiz.

Ortiz further said that under the intervention program for the surrenderers, they will be guiding them to be a productive citizen and empower the barangays to be drug-resistant.

“Meaning di na kasud ang drugs sa barangay kay naa natay mekanismo nga kaning barangay, lig-on na ni sya,” said Ortiz.

Ortiz further warned those uncooperative barangay officials with the drug-clearing saying that they will be filing charges for those who refused to cooperate.

Meanwhile, four individuals, one of them was high-value individual, were arrested by the Cebu Provincial Intelligence Unit (PIU) in a buy-bust operation conducted in Sitio Curva, Brgy. San Vicente, Liloan midnight Tuesday.

Police Lt. Lino Tryss Galvan, deputy chief of the PIU, identified the suspects as Glean Kintanar Nazareno, 36; John Vincent Tacon, 26; Norman Camay Tafe, 33, and Wacky Cabatingan, 26.

According to Galvan, Nazareno, who was the subject of the operation was determined to be high-value individual in provincial database.

“Construction worker to sya, murag nahulog nga taguanan, bodega sa mga item (illegal drugs). Wala pa pud namo na indentify kung kinsay gyud ang iyahang amo, pero ongoing pa among investigation,” said Galvan.

Basing on the initial investigation, Galvan said the suspects could dispose of up to 25 grams per week in some areas of Liloan.

Seized from the suspects were P102,000 worth of suspected shabu. — GMR (FREEMAN)