MARIJUANA CULTIVATED IN GOV'T-OWNED LOTS

Authorities had recently found that idle public lands at mountain
barangays, in at least three cities and three towns in Cebu province,
have been used to cultivate marijuana plants in a relatively
commercial scale.

This after provincial policemen, in their routine patrols through
various upland barangays, uprooted hundreds of marijuana growing in
lots that were later found to be owned by the government.

The mountain barangays were in the cities of Cebu, Toledo, and Danao,
and the towns of Dalaguete, Badian, and Balamban.

A couple of days ago, members of the Provincial Intelligence and
Investigation Bureau of the Cebu Provincial Police Office, together
with the Dalaguete Police uprooted 450 stalks of marijuana at sitio
Lugsangan, in barangay Tabon, Dalaguete town.

The suspected cultivators, the police later identified as Metodio
Sapine and Remo Sandoval, were able to escape however but left behind
their sprayers and fertilizers. The seized evidences are now at the
Police Crime Lab for proper documentation.

Meanwhile, Insp. Danilo Escover, deputy chief of Cebu City police's
Security and Service Group, said his men had earlier uprooted more
than 800 half-grown marijuana at a remote area in barangay Adlaon last
August 27, and over 200 fully-grown marijuana in barangay Sudlon II
last September 9.

They, however, failed to identify the marijuana cultivators because
the plantation was situated farther away from any house.

"Gituyo ra g'yod kadto nga gitanom didto sa hilit nga lugar aron dili
matultolan. Unya yuta pa g'yod sa gobyerno ang gitamnan," said
Escover, taking a cue from an informer.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency records show that more than two
million stalks of marijuana were uprooted in different parts of the
country last year, while over 1.5 million fully-grown marijuana were
already uprooted during the first eight months this year.

Police said marijuana, also known as cannavis sativa, remains the
second drug of choice among drug abusers due to its higher
availability and lower price, compared to shabu and other kinds of
illegal drugs.

Under Republic Act 9165, a convicted marijuana cultivator is meted
with life imprisonment or death, on top of fines ranging from P500,000
up to P10 million.

The land, on which the marijuana plants are cultivated, shall be
confiscated for the government unless the real owner could prove
unassailably that he has no prior knowledge his property had been used
for illegal activities.

However, if the government owns the lot, then the cultivator, if the
police can catch one, would be meted the maximum penalty of death.