Umakyat sa β±592 million na halaga ng ilegal na droga ang nasabat ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) nito lamang buwan ng Enero.
Sa gitna pa rin ito ng patuloy na pagpapaigting ng laban ng Marcos Administration kontra sa ipinagbabawal na gamot.
“PDEA said data show shabu and marijuana are the two most frequently abused drugs in the country, with 4,258, or 94.6 percent of arrests were shabu-related, while 240 or 5.3 percent were marijuana-related.” βSecretary Garafil
Ayon kay Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil, base sa ulat ng PDEA sa MalacaΓ±ang, nasa 4,499 na drug personalities ang nahuli; habang 7,720 na kaso naman ang naisampa na ng gobyerno.
“Among the major illegal drugs seized during PDEA operations were shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) worth Php403.4 million; cocaine powder, Php15.9 million; ecstasy tablet, Php19.9 million; kush, Php19.8 million and millions worth of marijuana in forms of dried leaves, bricks, plants, and stalks.” β Secretary Garafil
Sa ilalim ng Barangay Drug Clearing Program ng pamahalaan, nasa 26,952 barangay na o higit 64 percent ang naideklara nang drug free, mula sa higit 42,000 na barangay nationwide.
“As to the overall number of drug-free barangays, a total of 6,109 barangays were declared free as of January this year, the majority of which were from Eastern Visayas with 1,380 barangays.” β Secretary Garafil
Sinabi ng kalihim na ang mga otoridad, patuloy na pinalalakas ang kanilang surveillance at monitoring, maging sa mga paliparan, pantalanan, at borders ng bansa, laban sa mga magtatangkang magpuslit ng ilegal na droga sa Pilipinas.
“PDEA said part of its intensified anti-drug campaign is strengthening international cooperation involving multiple countries and entities such as the United States, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and the United Nations.” β Secretary Garafil. | ulat ni Racquel Bayan
Photo: PDEA