PNP: only 375 barangays in Pangasinan drug-free
875 MORE TO GO
THE Pangasinan Police Provincial Office has declared only 375 barangays as drug-clear and has only until February next year to clear all the 1,250 drug-affected barangays.
This was disclosed by P/Chief Inspector Demosthenes Magnaan, acting-chief of the Police Community Relations of the provincial police office during last week’s edition of KBP Forum, pointing out 875 more barangays have to be processed.
The 1,250 drug affected barangays listed by the police do not include the 17 in Sto. Tomas, the only town in Pangasinan declared as drug-free even before Operation Double-Barrel was launched in August 18 this year.
Magnaan said almost all the barangays of Pangasinan are drug-affected and given the large population of the province, the national office of the PNP decided not to rush the barangay clearing operations to make sure that these villages are really cleared.
To be declared “drug-free”, both the barangay officials and the local police must determine that no drug pusher and user remain in the community.
Magnaan said the police realized the gravity of the drug problem when most of the barangay chairmen are themselves involved in illegal drug trade.
He cited four barangay chairmen were recently arrested and another at-large in Bayambang for their involvement in illegal drugs while another barangay chairman and the head of the association of barangay councils of Bani town was arrested last Nov. 22.
There were other barangay chairmen killed in other towns and cities in the province and a number of these were killed by unidentified hitmen and others in police operations.
How can these barangay captains–as chairs of the Barangay Drug-Abuse Council– certify that their barangays are now drug free when they are themselves involved in illegal drugs? Magnaan asked.
“We can not solve the problem of illegal drugs if these officials who are supposed to be front liners in the campaign against the menace are involved,” he added.
In the region, Pangasinan is ranked number one in Oplan “Tokhang” and second in Operation Double Barrel.
Meanwhile, Magnaan said the Pangasinan has already expanded its Operation Double Barrel to “Double-Barrel Alpha” that involves not only visits to homes of watch-listed drug personalities but also in private and public institutions.
It is was launched in the First District with the conduct of One-Time, Big Time Operation that involved the inspection, monitoring and evaluation of business establishments in Alaminos City and various towns in western Pangasinan.
He said the other agencies involved in these operations are the Local Government Units, Department of Health, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Immigration and Deportation and other agencies with regulatory functions. (Leonardo Micua/Tita Roces)
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