Bohol opens war vs illegal drugs

TAGBILARAN CITY ,Philippines  — Both the Bohol Provincial Police Office and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Region 7 have mobilized all their units and ally agencies to purge Bohol from the illegal drugs trade.

Police Provincial Director Constantino Barot Jr. and PDEA-7 director Jigger Montallana, heeding the call of Governor Edgar Chatto, warned drug personalities that more aggressive operations have been set.

Montallana said that the PDEA office needs to be located near the BPPO for prompt coordination in undertaking operations.

He also proposed to put K-9 units in all ports of entry in Bohol and even in the islands to block all transshipment points of illegal drugs from other provinces.

Chatto assured Montallana that the provincial government is willing to allocate funds to acquire K-9 units if needed just to secure all the areas of Bohol from the illegal drugs trade.

The Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry also expressed full support and assured full cooperation to the plan of action that authorities have designed against illegal drugs.

The problem on illegal drugs had been lengthily discussed during the recent Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) meeting in the town of Antequera.

In that meeting, Panglao Councilor Walter Sultan said the town mayor’s intelligence fund last year is intact and could have been put to good use if allocated for information gathering regarding the activities of drug personalities in their town.

Provincial Board Member Brigido Imboy—chair of the Committee on Peace and Order—reported in the PPOC meeting that surveillance report showed the islands of Cabul-an in the town of Buenavista and Pandanon in Getafe have been made transshipment points of illegal drugs.

Montallana assured the officials that PDEA-7 will include the islands in the list of priority areas, and that trainors’ training on anti-drugs drive has been conducted in Cebu.

Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia has also been supportive of the PDEA-7’s plan of action in constricting all ports in the province, he said, adding that they can do it in Bohol, considering that 13,600 passengers and 14 airline carriers go in and out of Central Visayas every day and the bulk of illegal drugs supply getting in the province came from Cebu.

Colonel John Bonafos, commander of the 802nd Infantry Brigade, for his part gave assurance that the military will help PDEA-7 in the fight against illegal drugs and that they will coordinate with the Philippine Coast Guard in securing the ports of entry.