CEBU CITY, Philippines — With the arrest of a 21-year-old college student for selling marijuana in Bogo City on July 25, police in this northern city of Cebu are planning to conduct more drug awareness seminars in schools in the city.
Police Corporal Ian Gesite of the Bogo City Police Station told CDN Digital in a phone interview on July 28 that they were alarmed upon learning that the 21-year-old man they arrested during a buy-bust operation was a college student of a school in the city.
Gesite was referring to Klaer Amion Lepon of Barangay Sudlonon, Bogo City, who was caught selling marijuana during a buy-bust operation inside the Bogo City Public Plaza in Barangay San Vicente at 8 p.m. last Thursday.
Police confiscated 25 grams of marijuana from Lepon worth P375.
Read more: Two students caught with marijuana worth P40K in Mandaue checkpoint
At least five hours later at past 1 a.m. of July 26 in Barangay Cambaro, Mandaue City, police also arrested two 18-year-old senior high students of Lapu-Lapu City in a checkpoint. The students were caught with two plastic packs of marijuana worth at least P40,000.
With Lepon’s arrest, Gesite said that they would need to conduct this drug awareness seminars regularly in schools in the city especially since the targets of those in the illegal drugs business as their drug couriers were becoming younger.
“Dapat gyud mo conduct og more drug awareness campaign sa mga schools (There is a need to conduct more drug awareness campaigns in schools),” he said.
Gesite said that they would also seek the help and support of the parents because they had been the main sources or the persons who could monitor the changes of their children.
He said that the parents role in monitoring their children would play an important role in the drug campaign.
“Sila man gyud ni ang una makabalo (The parents are the first ones who would know) because drug awareness itself must start at home,” he said.
On Lepon’s arrest, Gesite said that they started monitoring Lepon’s activities after they received several reports from concerned citizens about a young man, who sold marijuana at the plaza.
After a week of verifying his illegal activities in the city’s plaza, Gesite said they conducted the buy-bust operation and arrested Lepon.
Lepon was detained at the Bogo City Police Station detention cell pending the filing of charges./dbs