PRO-7 among top anti-drug performers

CHIEF Supt. Nestor Bergonia, head of Camp Crame’s National Operations Center, answers media questions on the Philippine National Police’s anti-drug campaign. He is flanked to his left by Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7) director, and to his right by Chief Supt. Sheldon Jacaban, PRO-7 acting deputy regional director for administration. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) is among the top performing organizations in the nationwide campaign against illegal drugs.

Chief Supt. Nestor Bergonia, head of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) National Operations Center, made the announcement yesterday as he visited PRO-7 based in Cebu City.

“Based on our weekly assessment, PRO-7 is doing good and has been complying with the mandate and instructions of the Chief PNP and the President,” he said in an interview.

Bergonia did not give the specific rankings, saying they were still validating the authenticity of the reports submitted to them by the regional police offices.

PRO-7 records showed that from July 1 to August 22, police units in Central Visayas have conducted 751 anti-illegal drugs operations, which resulted to the arrest of 1,130 persons. At least 1,295 drug cases were filed in court.

Police confiscated a total of 2,272 grams of shabu with a value of P26.5 million.

At least 66,018 drug users and 5,105 drug pushers also surrendered to the different police stations in the region during the implementation of Oplan Tokhang, the PNP’s nationwide anti-drug campaign.

The number of surrenderees is way higher than the 8,000 individuals who were in the list of PRO-7 as drug peddlers and users.

“I’m surprised with the turnout of surrenderees. But that just means people know who and what they are. They know themselves better than the police do,” he explained.

Bergonia said he and his staff visited the different regional police offices in the country to validate the accomplishment reports submitted to them.

“We will find out whether the data submitted to us were accurate and reliable. We want to see the documentations to prove that there are no fabricated accomplishments,” he said.

Bergonia said they would also evaluate the performances of the regional, provincial and city directors, as well as the police station chiefs to make sure they make significant efforts to end the drug menace in their respective areas.

Those who fail to perform well shall be relieved from their posts, he said.

“Our campaign against illegal drugs is very extensive. Lackadaisical policemen will get their share of the penalty,” Bergonia said.

While there were policemen in Central Visayas who were transferred to other regions due to alleged derogatory records, no one was recently dismissed from the service yet.

Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, the PRO-7 chief, earlier said they were preparing for another round of Oplan Tokhang, this time targeting drug users and pushers who live in condominiums and subdivisions.

“No one is exempted in our campaign against illegal drugs. We don’t target just one sector but all,” he said.

The all-out anti-crime campaign, especially against illegal drugs, was credited for the 6.9 percent decline in the total crime volume in the region, or from 31,482 from January to July last year to 29,302 over the same period this year.

In July 2016 alone, a month after President Rodrigo Duterte assumed his post, the total crime volume in Central Visayas has dwindled to 4,264. The number is 447 less or 9.5 percent lower than July 2015’s crime volume.

But while cases of robbery, theft, rape, physical injuries, and gambling have gone down, incidents of murder and homicide have increased.

As of yesterday, 73 suspected drug pushers were killed in police operations in Central Visayas, while 97 others were gunned down by still unidentified assailants.

Of the cases of vigilante-style attacks, not one was solved by the police or a single perpetrator identified.

“Investigations conducted by the local chiefs of police are still ongoing,” Taliño said.

The Commission on Human Rights in Central Visayas (CHR-7) is looking into all cases of alleged extrajudicial killings in the region — a move welcomed by PRO-7.

“We’re doing our best to determine who are behind the spate of killings. No one has the right to kill a defenseless person. Even if the person is an identified drug pusher or criminal, you just can’t take his life easily,” Taliño said.