Manila barangays 'drug affected' - PDEA

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim has ordered Manila Police District (MPD) officials to intensify its campaign against drug pushers.

Lim issued the directive in reaction to a report of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) that all the 897 barangays in Manila are “drug affected” because of its dense population.

Barangay bureau director Analyn Buan, who presented the report said a barangay is considered drug affected if a drug addict is found living in the area.

Buan said the report also attributed Manila’s current drug situation to the presence of illegal drugs mostly in the major universities and colleges in Manila.

The same PDEA report said 97 percent of the 1,759 barangays in the National Capital Region (NCR) are also drug affected.

“Where will the users get their drugs if there are no pushers? We have to adopt a new strategy otherwise, this problem is endless,” Lim said.

Lim said the police should use arrested drug users as witnesses to identify and pinpoint the pushers that sell them drugs.

He said officials and station commanders should likewise exercise close supervision over their men who have apprehended drug suspects and ensure that they attend court hearings in connection with the arrests they have made.