Eleazar: Campaign against illegal drugs improved in the last five years

PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar on his arrival at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Lapu-Lapu City, on Sunday, July 11, 2021. | CDN Digital photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The top official of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said that the drug situation here in the country has improved in the last five years, saying only a third of the total number of barangays remain drug affected.

Police General Guillermo Eleazar, chief of the PNP, said that more than a half of the 42,046 barangays in the country are already drug cleared.

“At least 1/3 nalang ng mga barangay natin ang still affected. Dahil ito sa ating campaign against illegal drugs,” Eleazar said.

He, however, admitted that the problem on drugs remains a big problem not only in the Philippines, but worldwide.

“ang problema ng droga ay worldwide. Napakalaking sindikato na gagawin ang lahat, pwedeng pumatay, pwedeng bumayad para may patayin, pwede manggulo, para lamang sa kanilang multibillion na industry,” he said.

Since drug operations have traced the source of drugs to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa and in some city jails, Eleazar said that their line of communication with the detention facilities, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and the Bureau of Corrections is already open in their bid to address this issue.

A memorandum of agreement was already signed between the said agencies  to make sure that communication and coordination between the police and the detention facilities is open when it comes to their fight against illegal drugs.

Eleazar said that one of their interventions conducted by the jail facility management are greyhound operations to intercept sneaking of contrabands.

“Unless magkarroon tayo ng ideal facilities for these detainees to be put in there, ay talagang kailangan natin gawin ito. At alam naman natin na hindi perpekto ang ating mga jail facilities,” he said.

READ: Cebu City Jail warden’s concerns: Contrabands, congestion

/bmjo