CV POLICE RANKS LAST IN COUNTRY

CENTRAL Visayas police have every reason to be embarrassed.

Of the 14 regional offices in the country, only the Police Regional Office
(PRO) 7 failed to meet the 30-percent target set by President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo for the reduction in the number of drug-affected barangays.

Philippine National Police Deputy Director General Edgardo Aglipay made the
revelation Wednesday during a visit to PRO 7.

Aglipay warned that the "unsatisfactory" performance could cost several
police officials here their promotion.

"(PRO 7) has a lot to do. It only achieved 20 percent, whereas the national
average is 40 percent," said Aglipay, who was recently designated by
Macapagal as Camp Crame's anti-drug czar as head of the National
Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force.

The 30-percent target was set by the President for the June to September
2003 period.

Aglipay challenged PRO 7 to reach the 60-percent target set by the President
for the second period, to end on December 31, however hard it might be to
achieve.

Should the police in Central Visayas fail to reach the December 31 target,
Aglipay said, "We will see what we will do. There are officers here who are
earmarked for promotion to a general position. If they cannot do that, then
they will not go to the general position. We are expecting people not to get
what they want."

"I am showing these (records) to your officers so they would wake up. There
is no sweet talk here. We have to tell them that they are behind," he added.
Aglipay reported that of the 6,638 drug-affected barangays (DABs) across the
country, his task force was able to clear 2,687 DABs.

However, Region 7, under Chief Superintendent Roberto Delfin, cleared only
87 of its 389.

Furthermore, of the 87 barangays cleared by PRO 7, none was in Cebu City.

Of the 59 DABs identified by the Cebu City Police Office, nine are still
being subjected to clearing operations.

On the aspect of pushers, users, possessors and cultivators of drugs,
Aglipay said police in Central Visayas only arrested 727 of the 3,417 listed
targets and filed a total of 572 cases.

Nationwide, a total of 16,037 persons were arrested of the 34,711 listed
targets. A further 9,923 cases were filed.

As for local drug syndicates, Aglipay said they were able to neutralize 110
groups or 46 percent of the 237 listed targets.

However, in Region 7, of the 41 listed, police were only able to neutralize
two drug syndicates.

Aglipay said that of 13 transnational groups in the country, three have
already been neutralized, leading to the confiscation of four tons of shabu
worth eight billion pesos and 500 million pesos worth of property.

The police official also visited Wednesday barangay Pasil in Cebu City and
barangay Paknaan in Mandaue City, two of DABs in the region. He urged
residents and local officials to help the police in the fight against drugs.