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Boracay, Aklan - The country's battle against illegal drug trade and proliferation has thus far netted over P42.5 billion in seizures, destroyed some 31 clandestine laboratories and 24 chemical storage facilities. It has even neutralized 21 transnational groups, 431 local drug rings, arrested over 80,000 persons with 53,246 cases filed in Court. Yet the fight is far from over. In fact, the country's top drug czar admits, the illegal drug situation has gone to an alarming state and continues to escalate.
With over thirty years of illegal drug battle, Chief Supt. Rodolfo Caisip, Deputy Director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said the time is most fit for extensive community support and more pro-active role particularly in the barangays.
Chief Supt. Caisip made his appeal in a gathering of some 600 barangay captains coming from Iloilo towns during Thursday's provincial convention here.
Yes we have laws, said PDEA official noted yet no, it is not enough to bring this government closer to its goal of ridding the populace of the illegal drug menace. The campaign is beset with the bitter realities posed by the 'high profitability' of the illegal drug trade, Chief Supt. Caisip pointed out, added to which is the 'relatively light penalties to offenders and the I-don't-care attitude' of certain sectors in the society.
'It is not purely police work,' he quipped while adding that PDEA and the government is counting on the contributions of the family, members of the academe, student councils, campus organizations, non-government groups and the media.
'More than that however, barangay leaders are our force multipliers in our campaign to rid our communities of illegal drugs and drug addiction. In the fight against the drug problem, our barangay leaders are primarily tasked in waging relentless campaign to eradicate the prevalence of illegal drugs in their own communities, he told the barangay leaders present.You are in the best position to coordinate with the police on how to detect and arrest drug syndicates and drug users operating in your areas.'