ILOILO CITY — Western Visayas ranked first among all regions in the country in terms of operations against illegal drugs during the second semester of 2017.
David Garcia, information officer of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), made the statement during a press conference for the ‘Rehabinasyon’ roadshow and town hall meeting held here Friday.
“For the first time in the history of PDEA-6, I think last year, second semester we ranked the first all throughout the Philippines in terms of operations,” Garcia said.
Data from PDEA in Western Visayas showed that from January to December last year, the anti-drug operations resulted to the confiscation of more than a kilo of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu with a street value estimated at PHP10.038 million.
In 2016, same period, the PDEA was able to confiscate 478.8888 grams of shabu valued at PHP4.788 million.
The region’s drug operations last year increased to 221 from only 20 in 2016 and 369 persons were arrested from 98 apprehensions during the preceding year.
Garcia also hoped that Iloilo City could move on from its “shabulized” and “bedrock of illegal drugs” tag by the end of the year.
He said that already three barangays in Iloilo City have been declared drug-free by the Regional Oversight Committee, which is also headed by the PDEA.
Five villages, he said, are still undergoing validation. (Perla Lena/PNA)
