P40-M marijuana burned in Cordillera; 17 arrested

POLICE ROUNDUP 

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet -- Authorities discovered more than P40.5 million worth of marijuana in Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mount Province recently while 17 persons were arrested for illegal drugs, the regional police information office bared in a report.
    The discovery included over 163,000 fully grown marijuana plants, seedlings, and dried leaves, all of which were burned by the police after documentation.
    His, as the Cordillera Regional Operations Division bared 17 persons were arrested in possession of 10.69 grams of shabu worth P135,728.
    The PIO report said eight arrests were made by Baguio City Police Office followed by Kalinga Police Provincial Office with four; Abra and Benguet PPOs with two (2) arrests each, and Mt.  Province PPO with one arrest. 
    Suspects were identified as Pierre Miles Meepegama, 24, Exel Baro, 43, Juvina Baro, 49, Ryan Carino, 41, Rolly Alban, 42, Mateo Tolingan, 42, Crisanto Vega, 45, Sharon Grace Espita, 47, Greg Espita, 43, Annabelle Omawas, 50, Jovan Pugong, 48, Alvin Orbase, 28, Ronald Quinto, 31, Virgilio Rosadino, 53, Thaike Francisco, 29 and two female minors. 
    All arrested suspects and confiscated pieces of evidence were brought to their respective arresting units, while charges for violating the R.A. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, is being prepared against them.
    Meanwhile, 21 marijuana plantations  with total of 163, 425 fully grown marijuana plants, 650 marijuana seedlings, 50, 000 dried marijuana worth P 40, 511, 000.were discovered in Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mt. Province. 
    These were all burned by operatives after documentation.
    Follow-up operations are being conducted to identify marijuana cultivators.
    The PIO report said police officers conducting continuous barangay visitation and information dissemination on anti-illegal drugs campaign of the PNP. 
    In recent months, marijuana busts worth millions of pesos have been made in the region.
    Last month, more than P149 million worth of marijuana was seized by police in Kalinga and Benguet; and in April, P6.8 million worth of marijuana was seized by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Baguio.
    Cordillera police have been taking proactive measures to curb illegal drug use at the barangay level, in line with the Philippine National Police’s anti-drug campaigns.
    “The police are continuously conducting barangay visitation and information operations regarding the anti-illegal drugs campaign of the PNP,” Brig. Gen. David Peredo Jr., PROCor director, said in a statement.
 

PDEA nets P231-K shabu in Baguio City drug den

BAGUIO CITY – Three suspected drug pushers were arrested while shabu worth P231,000 was seized in a drug den raid in Purok 3, Barangay Upper Dagsian, here August 21.
    The Philippine Drug Enforcement Unit-Cordillera identified suspects as Dominador Baddal Padcayan Sr., Cynthia Mercado Mabalot and Rowel Licoben Bumidang.
    Seized from the suspects were 34 heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing suspected shabu weighing around 40 grams valued at P231,200, drug paraphernalia, three keypad cellular phones and an android cellular phone.
    The PDEA said they have been following Padcayan and Mabalot who live in the house and use the place as a drug den for a long time.

 
52 wanted persons nabbed; no crime in 54 Cordi towns

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet – Fifty-two wanted persons, including eight individuals listed as most wanted persons, were arrested in Cordillera August 13 to 19. The regional police information office said.
    Records of Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division of Police Regional Office-Cordillera bared Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) arrested 18 wanted persons, followed by the Benguet Police Provincial Office (PPO) with 15, Abra PPO with six, Ifugao PPO with five, Mountain Province PPO and Kalinga PPO with three each and Apayao PPO with two.
    Of the eight most wanted persons, two were most wanted personalities on the provincial level, one on the municipal level, and five on the station level, the regional police information office said.
    Police Brig. Gen. David Peredo Jr., PRO-Cordillera chief, said due to intensified police presence, 54 municipalities in the region and two police stations in Baguio City recorded zero crime incidents in the week.
    No crimes were logged in 22 out of 27 municipalities in Abra, five out of seven in Apayao, seven out of 13 in Benguet, four out of seven in Kalinga, nine out of 11 in Ifugao, and seven out of 10 in Mountain Province.
    Stations 8 (Kennon Road) and 10 (Marcos Highway) also recorded zero crime incidents out of 10 police stations in Baguio City. 

Pangasinan town cleared of drugs; 7 more to follow

By Hilda Austria

ASINGAN, Pangasinan – This municipality has been cleared of illegal drugs and seven others are applying for cleared status, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Pangasinan provincial office.
    In an interview on Wednesday, PDEA Pangasinan director Retchie Camacho said Asingan as deliberated and cleared by the regional committee on Tuesday.
    He said Asingan town passed deliberation for having complied with the required Balay Silangan and all its barangays were cleared of illegal drug activities and personalities.
    “May Balay Silangan pero wala pang enrolled client since cleared na nga silang lahat (They have their Balay Silangan but there were no enrolled client since they were already cleared) but Balay Silangan is one of the requirements of the municipalities for their drug-cleared status,” he added.
    He said there will be continuous monitoring even in the drug-cleared localities.
Asingan is yet to formalize its drug-cleared status in a ceremony to be held in their town.
    Meanwhile, seven municipalities in the province are applying for drug-cleared status since all their barangays were already drug-cleared and they just need to comply with documentary requirements and pass the deliberation, Camacho said.
    These are the towns of Agno, Bautista, Binalonan, Bolinao, San Fabian, San Nicolas, and Umingan.
    The PDEA Pangasinan is constantly coordinating with the local government units in the province to be able to assist them in achieving a drug-cleared status, he said.
    He said the remaining eight towns and four cities in the province that are not yet cleared mostly have only one each remaining affected village.
     “We are focusing on them to be able to clear the whole municipality or town. We are doing our best with the local government,” he said. -- PNA