Cops to stop marijuana cultivators in mountain brgys with bamboos

Police uproot marijuana stalks in Sitio Manggabon, Barangay Tagba-o, Cebu City on Tuesday, February 26, 2020. | contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police are planning to use bamboo plants to prevent marijuana cultivators from replanting marijuana plants in the mountain barangays of Cebu City.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Randy Korret, Cebu City Police Office’s (CCPO) City Mobile Force Company (CMFC) chief, said this during a press briefing on February 26, 2020.

Korret said that they would start planting bamboo shoots or seeds, which would be provided by the CMFC’s advisory council.

He said that this would be their way to provide livelihood to mountain barangay residents and prevent these residents from resorting to planting marijuana.

Korret and the CMFC will coordinate with the Department of Agriculture especially on which plants could be better to plant on certain sites.

Aside from that, he said that they would be asking the barangays to help oversee the soon-to-be bamboo plantation in the areas.

“According sa (Department of) Agriculture, after four years, pwede nang gamitin for livelihood projects yung kawayan,” said Korret.

Secret to operations’ success

Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano, CCPO chief, for his part, said that the success of the operation against marijuana plantations in mountain barangays in the city was the result of community engagement they had developed through their constant community visitation and patrolling.

Read more: Cebu City cops on the hunt for cultivator of marijuana plants in Barangay Tagba-o

He was referring to the operations in Barangays Tagba-o and Adlaon where they found marijuana plantations and destroyed marijuana plants worth at least P7 million.

“If not for the information given by the constituents of that barangay, it would have been difficult for the part of the police,” said Soriano.

He said if the community would continue to help them, their relentless operation would also continue. |