Village worries on illegal drugs’ proliferation

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – Residents of Barangay Cadawinonan in this city have raised fears over the proliferation of illegal drugs in their area that has gone from bad to worse.

A homeowner, who refused to be identified, disclosed that every now and then arrests were made but to no avail because supplies are still coming in.

On Monday morning, another buy-bust operation was conducted at the housing site in Cadawinonan where the suspect, Jaclon Gonzales Ramirez, 33, yielded 28 sachets of shabu granules, an improvised tooter and the marked money.

Elements of the Special Operations Group, headed by Senior Police Officer 3 Allen June Germudo, arrested Ramirez who had been listed as one of the target personalities of the SOG for disposing of at least 50 grams of shabu every week.

Later in the afternoon, another buy-bust operation was conducted at the site. Caught while handing over a sachet of shabu to a police poseur-buyer was Christopher Custodio, according to Inspector Ryan Jay Orapa, head of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs–Special Operations Task Group.

Meanwhile, a citywide drug abuse prevention and control summit is scheduled from October 8 to 9 at the Plaza Mar and at Quezon Park in the city. Expected participants are the barangay chairpersons and councilmen, who are heads of the peace and order councils in their areas.

Rosalio Macalipay, executive director of the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council confirmed that the summit will also be attended by presidents of different housing associations in Dumaguete, womens group Kalipi and the Gender Watch Against Violence and Exploitation.

Also invited are representatives from the Bureau of Customs, the Philippine Ports Authority, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Dangerous Drugs Board of the Philippines, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Administration and the police.

Macalipay said there is a need to address the drug menace by collaborated efforts and vigilance of the community, side by side with the campaign of law enforcers to prevent the supply from coming in.