Pangasinan’s drug havens

By Bebot Villar

 

BASED on the updated drug situation in Pangasinan, Barangays Bonuan Binloc and Bonuan Gueset in Dagupan City and Barangay Camantiles in Urdaneta City are still the notorious places tagged as “drug havens.”

I wonder why these places are still untouchable as if there have been no extensive anti-drug campaigns in the whole province today and in the past. I am already on my 6^th and last year as Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) chairman, and ever since I assumed the post, I knew then that illegal drug activities were already rampant in these notorious barangays! Talamak ang iligal na droga dyan pero bakit walang ginagawa ang kanilang mga barangay captains doon? Tungkulin nila na magsagawa ng nararapat at mabilisang aksyon lalo pa at droga ang pinag-uusapan! O malalakas lang talaga sila?

Allegedly, our Muslim brethren are among the notorious distributors of shabu in the whole province.

Anti-drug operations are regularly conducted by PDEA and PNP in these barangays but why are these barangays still known to be the hot spots of the province on illegal drugs? Talaga bang bigatin ang mga protektor nila para hindi sila magalaw?? Sino ba ang ipinagmamalaki ng mga illegal drug traders na ito??

Hindi ba nahihiya sa mga sarili nila ang mga kapitan na ito na sa mismong sa barangay pa nina Speaker Jose De Venecia at Cong. Gina De Venecia nanggagaling ang illegal drugs sa iba’t-ibang bayan ng probinsya??

This early, we already know who not to support in the coming national elections. We have seen who can help us build a better community so let us reject those who are like beautiful decors but no use at all.

We need true public servants na tutugon sa ating pangangailangan upang maging isang matatag na komunidad at makatutulong sa lokal na pamahalaan upang maging ganap na progresibo ang bayan.

It is time we stop these insensitive and “get-rich-quick” barangay captains! Eliminate the “trapos” and save the “trying hards” but patiently working for the benefit of the community.

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Imagine, even children are already being used in barangays as drug couriers! Di ba’t ka-demonyohan na talaga ang ginagawa ng mga barangay kapitan na ito! Talagang na-possessed na sila ng demonyo kaya’t nagagawa na nilang isama ang mga bata sa kanilang kabalbalan.

The drug syndicates have been bold because they are aware that under the law, children caught in possession of illegal drugs are not criminally liable. When we say children, sila ang mga bata na ang edad ay nasa elementarya lamang na madaling mabola!

Given this situation, I can’t help but recommend that the law on youth offenders be re-visited. Hindi maaaring lagi silang exempted kung na-involved sa krimen at dadalhin na lang sa Department of Social Welfare & Development para i-counsel. The law must include penalizing parents of minors involved in crimes. They have to assume some responsibilities as parents.

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Pangasinan’s vast shoreline and proximity to mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan makes it easy for international syndicates to make the province a logical transit point to other provinces in the region. And since our shoreline does not have any effective watch to prevent and control the entry of contrabands from other countries, paano natin mapipigil ang pagpasok ng smuggled drugs kung bukas na bukas ang ating mga shoreline na tila ba nag-a-anyaya.

Kung walang illegal entry, walang dagdag na problema, di po ba? We have to prevent illegal entries in the shoreline to minimize our problems!

I am sure that our authorities are aware of this situation, but it seems this is still not a priority.

Sa totoo lang, we cannot hope to win the war against illegal drugs because our national and local governments are not yet fully committed to win the war. We don’t commit enough funds to support an honest-to-goodness war contra illegal drug operators. We don’t have enough personnel and modern surveillance equipment to keep track of expanding operations of drug lords.

Let’s hope that the commitment of our dedicated LGU, PDEA and PNP officials will soon be boosted by more resources if we are to at least be in control of the situation, if we can’t totally win the war vs. illegal drugs.

(For your comments and reactions, please email to: punch.sunday@gmail.com)

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