ILOILO CITY — A new story highlighting how Western Visayas, especially Iloilo City, has moved forward is being encouraged to change public perception after it was marred with illegal drug issues in the past year.
“That’s what we are pushing for. We need to come up with a new narrative,” said Chief Supt. Cesar Hawthorne Binag, regional director of the Police Regional Office (PRO 6).
Binag said that each place had its own story to tell but the point is that they could not remain on a “status quo.”
And remaining in a “status quo” is definitely not the intention of Western Visayas, most particularly in its fight against illegal drugs.
The region is moving forward in the drug campaign with 176 barangays already declared as drug-cleared of the 4,051 villages in the region.
Data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) showed that 145 barangays from Bacolod City, Bingawan, Maasin and Alimodian in Iloilo and from various towns of Negros Occidental were the first to be recognized as cleared of illegal drugs.
The declaration started as early as June this year, according to David Garcia, PDEA information officer in Western Visayas.
The most recent was the 31 barangays composed of 13 in Sibunag, Guimaras; nine from Oton; six from Mina and three in Iloilo City.
PDEA regional director Wardley Getalia said that the task really falls on the shoulder of barangay officials because they are responsible for the documentation.
They have been sending personnel on the ground to assist officials in facilitating their documents.
To fast-track, PDEA is giving priority to the unaffected and slightly affected barangays.
Western Visayas has 1,857 slightly affected and 1,554 unaffected barangays.
Banner year for PNP Western Visayas
The year 2017 happened to be a banner year for the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Western Visayas with the capture of national and local high value targets.
The biggest accomplishment was the death of Richard Prevendido, one of the two drug lords in Western Visayas.
The law enforcers were able to track him down after hiding for several years.
His death came almost a year after the top drug lord, Melvin Odicta and his wife Meriam were gunned down in Caticlan Port in Aklan.
After Prevendido’s death came the capture of father and son Arturo Balume Sr and Arturo Balume Jr, both considered as high value target level 3 and leader of the Balume drug group and goons that operate in the fifth district of Iloilo.
The PNP has filed 2, 085 cases in court out of their 1,976 arrests as a result of 1,285 anti-illegal drug operations, according to data from the PRO6.
Binag said that there has been a continuous drop in the number of focus crimes as a result of the successful campaign against illegal drugs.
The crime volume has decreased by close to 18 percent this year when compared with 2016.
There has been a decrease in the index crime while crime solution and crime clearance efficiency have peaked in 2017 when compared with the previous year.
As of December 17, the crime volume recorded was 65, 998 against the 80,093 in 2016 and index crime dropped to 19, 525 against 23, 290 in the preceding year.
The PNP defines index crimes as against persons (such as rape, homicide and others) and crimes against property (such as theft, robbery and others).
“Due to illegal drugs campaign, our campaign against lawlessness has improved,” he cited.
Binag said that the campaign has made a “very positive” impact to Iloilo City.
“This is one of the most peaceful regions in the whole country. I’m very proud to say that I’m beginning to love this place and we’re considering to retire in this place,” he said.
Mayor Jose Espinosa III shared Binag’s observation that the successful campaign against illegal drugs has resulted to lesser crimes in the city.
The city government is also doing its part not only to get rid of the city of drugs but also to make it more peaceful by issuing ordinances.
Boosting the war against drugs is the order that limits the selling of alcoholic drinks only up to 2 a.m. and the strict implementation of the curfew for minors starting 10 p.m.
A relentless campaign in schools is being spearheaded by the Speakers Bureau of the Iloilo City Anti-Drug Abuse Council.
The local chief executive said that petty crimes are indicators of crimes committed in the city but so far there is none. This is a manifestation, he said, that use of illegal drugs in the city has gone down.
Supt. Gilbert Gorero, PRO 6 spokesperson, said that camp-based rehabilitation complementing the community-based rehabilitation program of Iloilo City also continues.
With the PNP again tasked to help in the anti-drug campaign, Binag initiated a program dubbed as community vetting that enjoins the support of the community in the selection of drug enforcement units and teams.
With all the efforts geared towards ensuring peaceful Western Visayas, Gorero said that the region’s environment is “favorable to the economy.” (Perla Lena, with reports from Cindy Ferrer/PNA)