443 DRUG-FREE BARANGAYS IN 100 DAYS

The National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) has set for itself
a goal of clearing 443 Metro Manila barangays of illegal drugs in the
next 100 days.

Metro police chief Director Ricardo de Leon said the intensified
barangay drug-clearing operations are aimed at complementing the
successful busting of shabu laboratories and warehouses in Metro
Manila and nearby areas by the Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Task Force
(AID-SOTF) in the last six months.

"The 443 barangays have been categorized as Level 1 targets. They
earned the distinction of being the first to be cracked by us," De
Leon said in an interview.

In a command conference last Monday, Interior and Local Government
Secretary Joey Lina and AID-SOTF commander Deputy Director General
Edgar Aglipay imposed upon the NCRPO's five police district directors
and the 37 station commanders the need to intensify their
drug-clearing operations in consonance with the directive of President
Arroyo to bring the war against illegal drugs to the barangay level.

A list of the 443 barangays to be cleared of illegal drugs were
distributed to police officials by Lina and Aglipay, who both refused
to discuss sanctions against those who fail to live up to
expectations.

Since June last year, AID-SOTF has neutralized 19 shabu factories,
laboratories and warehouses in Metro Manila and nearby provinces,
resulting in the confiscation of P13 billion worth of shabu, equipment
and raw materials. At least 21 Chinese nationals were also arrested
and charged in court.

In the same period, the NCRPO cleared of illegal drugs 620 of Metro
Manila's 1,608 barangays, De Leon said.

The Metro police chief admitted that their renewed barangay
drug-clearing operations will not be successful without the proper
cooperation of barangay and local government officials.

"We are now focused on the drug-pushing aspect of the problem and we
cannot succeed without the cooperation of the entire citizenry,
especially the barangay officials and local executives," De Leon said.

Aglipay has offered operational support to the NCRPO's drug-clearing
operations. According to De Leon, the NCRPO is also updating its order
of battle against policemen involved in the illegal drug trade.

He recently ordered a probe against Superintendent Marcelino Pedroso,
head of the Manila police AID-SOTF, after three of his calling cards
were retrieved inside a raided shabu laboratory at the Bayview
International Towers in Paranaque City last Monday.

"We are trying to update our order of battle on personalities,
including policemen involved in the illegal drug trade," De Leon said.
"We will identify and build cases against them."