P5.6-M marijuana burned in Kalinga tourist town

TINGLAYAN, Kalinga — Joint operatives of the Police Regional Office Cordillera Administrative Region Philippine and provincial personnel of Drug Enforcement Agency destroyed P5.6 million worth of marijuana in Butbut Proper in this tourist town known for white river rafting and tattooing.

“Destroyed during the eradication on May 28 were 28,300 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants and 1,000 pieces of marijuana seedlings in 10 separate plantation sites located at Butbut Proper, Tinglayan, Kalinga,” Edgar Apalla, PDEA-CAR regional director, said in a report sent to the media Wednesday.

Apalla said the plantation sites totaled 2,931 square meters. He also said the uprooted plants were burned on site. The director said the eradication operation was covered by PDEA-CAR’s “Oplan Linis Barangay XI” and PNP’s “Oplan Green Pearl Bravo”.

 Rosel Sarmiento, PDEA-CAR information officer, said anti-narcotic operatives of PDEA-Kalinga Provincial Office, Tinglayan and Lubuagan Municipal Police Stations, 1st and 2nd Company of the Kalinga police mobile force company, Drug Enforcement Unit and Provincial Intelligence Branch traveled for hours on one-lane uphill rugged road to reach the jump-off point.

This was followed by a hike on the mountainsides to reach the target area. The difficulty and long travels and walking time could have given the “farmers” lead time to escape, thus no suspects were found on site, he said.

“Based on the rugged area where the plantations were located, the suspects fled when they heard operatives hiking up the mountainous areas,” Sarmiento said.

 She said this situation is similar in most plantation areas in the Cordillera, which operatives, however, pursue to reach, to destroy what could possibly end up on the hands of drug users in urban areas in the country. Sarmiento said the recent operation was one of several successful eradications conducted by the government’s anti-drug agents in the municipality of Tinglayan in Kalinga province.

 The PDEA officers said while there was difficulty reaching plantation sites, the government will not stop to destroy marijuana plantations in the area. They also reminded individuals that cultivation of marijuana is prohibited under Sec.16 Article II of Republic Act 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Brig. Gen. Israel Ephraim T. Dickson, Cordillera police director praised the operating elements warning cultivators to stop planting marijuana as the government will not stop pursuing them and destroying their plants. He also appealed to barangay and municipal officials of the province to help authorities in stopping such illegal activities by enhancing their anti-illegal drugs campaign. — PNA