PNP: No public official drug protector in Baguio

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY - The top cop here said no elected public official in the city is a “protector” of lucrative drug trade in the city, except for a barangay kagawad and two barangay tanods who voluntarily submitted themselves for having allegedly used prohibited drugs.

Senior Supt. George D. Daskeo, city police chief, said despite non-involvement of elected city officials in the drug trade, law enforcers are validating reports on the drug trade in the city to ascertain protectors.

“We will not stop our campaign against the proliferation of illegal drugs in our city because although hundreds of drug pushers and users have voluntarily submitted themselves to the police and vowed to abandon the use and trade of illegal drugs, we want to go after those behind the lucrative trade,” Daskeo said.

The police official claimed BCPO is proud that no elected city official is involved in the illegal drug trade unlike in other areas in the country where some local officials are being identified as protectors illegal drugs trade.

According to him, law enforcers are now closely monitoring activities of the barangay kagawad and the two barangay tanods who voluntarily submitted themselves to the police and admitted that they have been involved in the use of illegal drugs, thus, they committed to abandon their habit and identified their sources for the information of law enforcers.

He warned local officials that the non-involvement of elected officials to the illegal drug trade does not mean that the police will stop monitoring their activities, thus, the officials must continue supporting the illegal drugs campaign as this had been contributing to crimes incidents in the different barangays.

Daskeo told city officials the campaign of the police against illegal drugs has a multi-pronged approach in order to account and neutralize the operations of high-profile drug personalities, address the proliferation of illegal drug pushers and users on the ground, thus, the need for the participation and cooperation of the public in order for the law enforcers to succeed in the campaign in the next three to six months.

He said law enforcers are taking precautions in the conduct of the necessary operations against drug personalities, pushers and users in the city to avoid collateral damage to innocent civilians in the campaign considering that they have a deadline to meet prescribed by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte; but such efforts will not compromise their other anti-criminality and peacekeeping initiatives which are their mandated priority.