MANILA: A week after an inter-agency task force for the island of Cebu was launched to lead the war on illegal drugs, operatives of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 (Central Visayas) seized nearly 2 kg. of suspected shabu and arrested more than 100 drug suspects in the province, its chief Brig. Gen. Roderick Alba said on Saturday.
In a news release, Alba reported that from December 9 to 15, the operatives seized 1,918.6 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of PHP13,046,480 and arrested 119 individuals.
He said the creation of the One-Cebu Inter-Agency Interdiction Task Force has enabled the Philippine National Police (PNP) to align its goals with Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s all-out war on drugs and strengthening of border security.
The One-Cebu task force’s creation was signed on December 7 by the provincial government, the PNP, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, along with local and national government officials, aiming to continue to curtail the entry and proliferation of illegal drugs in Central Visayas.
“We will continue to intensify border protection measures and better policing strategies against the proliferation of illegal drugs in the region,” Alba said.
Meanwhile, he reported a peaceful celebration of the first day of the Misa de Gallo dawn Mass in Central Visayas on Friday, saying it was “manageable”, given the help extended by government agencies, local security teams, and volunteer groups.
He said 3,339 police officers were deployed to boost patrols in different areas of convergence in Central Visayas to ensure peace and order amid the expected influx of local and foreign travelers who will take advantage of the long Christmas break to go on vacation.
Source: Philippines News Agency
