'BACOLOD STILL TOP PROBLEMATIC DRUG AREA'

It's still on top.

Bacolod City remains on top of the list of "problematic areas" of the
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as far as prohibited drugs in Western
Visayas are concerned.

Police records also show that 70 percent of the prohibited drugs being
supplied to various towns and cities of Negros Occidental come from Bacolod
City.

The PDEA also noted that almost 60 percent of detained inmates in key urban
centers of Negros Occidental are facing drug-related cases.

Other areas in Region 6 categorized by the PDEA as drug problematic areas
are Aklan, Capiz and Iloilo.

At the same time, however, the campaign against drugs by the Bacolod City
Police Office and the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office has been
rated excellent by Senior Supt. Lazaro Torcita, Region 6 PDEA chief.

Torcita also noted a problem in the prosecution of arrested suspects
charged for drug-related crimes.

In some cases, drug charges filed by policemen are dismissed due to
technicalities, when arresting police officers fail to follow the
prescribed operational procedures, he added.

Torcita said they are pushing for the creation of a special court that will
hear only drug-related cases. This will help fast-track the prosecution of
drug suspects, he added.

In an interview with ABS-CBN, Torcita, warned policemen against bungling
drug-related cases.

The PDEA is closely monitoring drug-related cases filed by policemen in the
entire region, he said.