DAVAO ORIENTAL— The Philippine National Police says that the supply and demand of the illegal drug trade in the province has been significantly reduced, following the recent discovery and confiscation of marijuana plants worth P4 million in Sitio Pagbaluyan, Barangay Tubaon, Tarragona.
This is the official statement of Police Colonel Marcial Mariano Magistrado IV, Provincial Director of Davao Oriental Police Provincial Office (DOPPO) during the recently held Provincial Peace and Order Council’s (PPOC) joint meeting with other provincial special bodies at Lane’s Kita-anan, City of Mati.
“This has a significant impact to our supply reduction efforts considering its amount. Definitely it is a big loss to buyers. So, that is a huge effort in reducing its users. Because if you have reduced the supply, then you have also reduced demand. This has a huge impact on law enforcement operation,” he said.
More or less 21,000 hills of fully-grown marijuana plants have been confiscated during a joint operation conducted by DOPPO, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) XI, 701st Brigade, 67th Infantry Battalion, 28th Infantry Battalion, Mobile Force Company, and Regional Mobile Force Battalion on December 4 to 5.
The seized marijuana plants were torched at the DOPPO Compound in a ceremonial burning early on December 9 prior the joint meeting.
Pol. Col. Magistrado said that the ceremony aims to inform the public of its seriousness in cutting illegal drug trade in the province by destroying all marijuana plantations in the province.
“The signal we are sending to the community is that we are dead serious in our campaign against illegal drugs. As mandated by our President and together with our Governor Nelson Dayanghirang as Chairman of the Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council, we will continuously conduct more operations like this. Because it is our primary objective to totally eradicate drug supply here in Davao Oriental to make it a drug-free province,” he said.
As of December 6,the DOPPO has already confiscated more than P223.9 million Dangerous Drug Value since January of this year. Of the said amount, marijuana totals to P6.8 million, significantly higher than that of shabu, which is only at P2.1 Million. Meanwhile, cocaine is at P215 million.
Magistrado added that aside from intensifying Marijuana Eradication operations, they will also continue to conduct manhunt operations of high-value drug personalities in the province.
“We will strengthen the conduct of Oplan ‘Davao Oriental Kalinaw’ as a comprehensive effort to counter terrorism, illegal drugs and criminality. Also, we will continuously conduct barangay and school-based symposia on Anti-Illegal Drugs and implement the Kabataan Kontra Droga at Terorismo province-wide,” he said.
Through collaboration of efforts with concerned agencies and LGUs, only four barangays remain uncleared from illegal drugs, which include the densely populated barangays in the City of Mati —Barangays Central, Sainz, Matiao, and Dahican. By Riza M. Golez/ Photos by Eden Jhan Licayan
