Marijuana uprooted in mountains of Badian

CEBU, Philippines - About 11,000 stalks of marijuana plants estimated to be worth P300,000 were uprooted in the mountain barangay of Sitio Busay, Barangay Patong, Badian last Saturday morning by personnel of the Regional Public Safety Battalion based in Sibonga 

The alleged cultivator, Tito Omictin Jr., 30, who was caught in the act of planting the marijuana, was arrested and now detained at the Sibonga police stockade. 

The operation stemmed from a concerned citizen who informed them of the alleged rampant planting of marijuana in the said barangay.

Acting on the information, the team of Insp. Ervin Belen rushed to the area on Friday evening and arrived at around 1:00 on Saturday morning.

Belen said they caught Omictin in the act of planting marijuana in one of the lots. He did not resist the arrest. Omictin said Belen claimed he was not the owner of the lot and that he was only told to plant the marijuana but he did not disclose the lot owner. Uprooted from the lot where Omictin was planting, were 44 marijuana stalks.

Belen said they also uprooted marijuana plants from over six hills in the same barangay.

“Hindi naman siya matawag na plantation talaga kasi the same area pero iba-ibang cultivated lot, (It’s not really a plantation because its from the same are but different cultivated lots.)” he said.

Belen further said that since they cannot bring all the evidence back to the battalion office, they burned some of it and brought only about 30 sacks of fully grown marijuana plants.

He added that there are houses nearby but they cannot figure out who among them were the owners of the lot.

Criminal charges for violating Section 16 of the RA 9165 or Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are set to be filed today at the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office. (FREEMAN)