BAGUIO CITY (PIA) - - The Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) approved a motion to put the anti marijuana campaign as among its flagship programs from 2022 to 2025.
Department of the Interior and Local Government – Cordillera Director Araceli San Jose pushed the motion in response to the proposal of Tinglayan Mayor Sacrament Gumilab for a whole – of – nation approach to end the problem of marijuana cultivation in Kalinga and in other parts of the region during the 2nd Quarter Full Council meeting here in May 24.The move was approved by the council members.
“I am very happy that the RPOC recognizes the need to sit together and finalize a comprehensive plan and including the marijuana eradication in its flagship program is really a leap forward”, the Mayor said. He offered to share a comprehensive plan that they have developed in 2016 as a working plan for the RPOC.
Meantime, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) – CAR Acting Assistant Regional Director Saymoure Darius Sanchez affirmed the relentless campaign against illegal drugs in Cordillera.
“We will be focusing on the anti – marijuana campaign and this will be an inter –agency collaborative effort”, RPOC Chairperson. Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said.
Magalong tasked the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to be on the lead and called for the creation of a Technical Working Group that will define the anti – marijuana campaign objectives and to prepare the needed project proposals so that government agencies that will be involved will have a funding basis.
Gumilab thanked the CRPOC for setting marijuana eradication as a priority. A perennial problem of Tinglayan and the province of Kalinga, it needs to be addressed through collaborative efforts among local government units and all government agencies from the regional up to the nation level.
In partnership with the Police Regional Office – Cordillera, 279 anti – illegal drug operations were conducted from February up to May 15 that led to the confiscation of around P486.36 million worth of illegal drugs, mostly marijuana plants and other byproducts.
There were also 27 drug personalities arrested and 29 cases filed, Sanchez said.
On the Barangay Drug Clearing Program, PDEA reported that out of the 1,177 barangays in the region, 57 are unaffected, 304 are drug – free and 751 are drug cleared. 65 drug- affected barangays are still up for clearing. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)
