Illegal drugs

EDITORIAL

Basing from reports of illegal drug apprehensions and burning of marijuana plantations in the Cordillera, the past weeks, it would seem that the region’s tag as the top producer of cannabis sativa in the Far East has been reinforced.

Also, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, a total of 35 illegal drug cases tried in Cordillera courts havebeen concluded with “guilty” verdicts in 2012.

Along with these were conviction of 34 drug personalities with 30 convicted in Baguio City, three in Benguet and one in Kalinga.

Twenty one of the conviction cases were marijuana-related and 14 shabu. Eighteen of these werefor use, 10 for sale, six for possession, all punishable under Republic Act 9165 (The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).

Of the 35 drug cases, five were filed last year, 13 in 2011, ten in 2010, five in 2009 and the oldest two filed in 2003 or about nine years of trial.

In 40 percent of the cases, police officers of the Police Regional Office – Cordillera acted as witnesses.

Also acting as witnesses in terms of percentage were PDEA agents, 22.86% ;security guards, 20 %; jail officers of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology – Baguio City, 5%; Highway Patrol Group – Cordillera, 2.86% another 2.86% by barangay chairmen with tanods, also 2.86% by members of the academe, and, 2.86% by concerned citizens.

The number of drug cases concluded with “guilty” verdicts increased by 9.38% in 2012 as compared to 2011, according to PDEA – Cordillera regional director Ronald Allan Ricardo.

According to the PDEA Cordillera chief, they will strengthen legal offensives, which encompass case build-ups, updating of drug law enforcers on legal procedures, and consultations or dialogues with prosecutors and judges at the pre-operation phase; strict adherence to procedures and exercise of operational supervision over non-PDEA units during operations and case conferences and monitoring.

These initiatives are laudable, but them the PDEA and other law enforcement agencies like the police should check their ranks considering the bad eggs who have been reported to be involved in buy-busts which were actually “planting operations.”

In other words, victims of this modus operandi (which involved placing illegal drugs on victims and coercing them to pay so they will be released and no charges will be filed against them) have been victimized and as reports have it, this practice by corrupt lawmen should be stopped.