MARIJUANA ERADICATION. Policemen in Benguet province destroy PHP10.74 million worth of marijuana plants in Kayapa, Bakun town on Wednesday (Nov. 25, 2020). Operatives from the Police Regional Office Cordillera (PROCOR) and other law enforcers continue to scour the mountains of the region to find marijuana plantation sites as part of measures to cut the supply of the illegal drug. (PNA photo courtesy of PROCOR-PIO)
BAGUIO CITY – Police officers in Benguet have destroyed PHP10.74 million worth of marijuana in Bakun town.
Police Regional Office Cordillera (PROCOR) chief information officer, Capt. Marnie Abellanida on Friday said law enforcers uprooted and destroyed 52,200 fully grown marijuana plants and 2,500 marijuana seedlings in three plantation sites in the town on Wednesday.
He said the marijuana plants were discovered in a 13,070-square meter plantation in Sitio Legab, Barangay Kayapa in Bakun.
Abellanida said this came after the recent eradication at Kibungan, Benguet on Tuesday where PHP2.2 million worth of marijuana plants were destroyed by police operatives.
On Monday, Benguet police officers also destroyed PHP712,000 worth of marijuana, also in Barangay Kayapa.
Abellanida said authorities have so far conducted seven marijuana eradication operations this month.
Marijuana eradication operations are regular activity of the different police units in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) as part of the government’s effort to curb the supply of illegal drugs.
PROCOR director Brig. Gen. R’Win Pagkalinawan said the conduct of anti-illegal drug operations is among the priority of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Under his watch as head of the regional police, he said the goal is always to destroy and uproot marijuana plants while these are still seedlings.
“Habang maliliit pa mabunot na natin para walang mahuhulog na seeds na tutubo na naman (We need to uproot these while still small, so there would be no seeds falling and growing again),” he said.
He urged residents to help the police by providing information on the existence of marijuana plantations.
The PROCOR’s consecutive successful marijuana eradication operations are the result of the continuous and intensive anti-illegal drugs operation in the region to attain a drug-free Cordillera and the cooperation of members of the community who provide information. (PNA)
