(Screengrab from RTVM)
MANILA – Law enforcers have seized over PHP155.3 million worth of illegal drugs in 12 days as the government doubles down on its anti-narcotics campaign, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said on Wednesday.
In his report during President Rodrigo Duterte's Talk to the People, Año said these were seized in 1,895 operations from October 18 to 30.
"Nasa 66 na indibidwal na sangkot sa ilegal na droga ang kusang sumuko sa otoridad. Mga 2,664 ang naaresto (Some 66 individuals involved in illegal drugs surrendered to authorities. Around 2,664 drug suspects were arrested)," he said.
Año said the suspects include the three cultivators of marijuana plantations that were destroyed by authorities in Balamban town and Toledo City in Cebu last October 23.
These operations in Cebu resulted in the destruction of PHP20.6 million worth of marijuana plants.
He added that the 12-day operations yielded 12 kilograms of shabu, 610.6 kilograms of marijuana, 25 tablets of ecstasy, and a kilogram of cocaine.
Giving justice to slain, wounded cops
Also on Wednesday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) maintained that it is also determined to find out the truth behind incidents of deaths and alleged violence in the government's campaign against illegal drugs.
“We in the PNP would also want to know the truth because these allegations of human rights and extrajudicial killings that have been hounding us in more than five years have resulted in the sweeping generalization that all our operations against illegal drugs are tainted with abuses," PNP chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said in a statement.
He added that this generalization is unfair to police operatives who died or were wounded in the conduct of operations and grossly ignores the fact that the efforts of police officers on the ground have resulted in an improved peace and order situation across the country.
Eleazar's statement was in response to the Commission on Human Rights' (CHR) report that only 11 survived out of the 466 individuals who allegedly resisted arrest during police operations.
The CHR added that at least 87 victims had mostly multiple gunshot wounds on different parts of the body and that there were signs that blunt force was imposed on those who died in the operations.
While he respects the investigation of the commission, Eleazar said the reason behind the investigation by the CHR is the same reason the PNP coordinated with the Department of Justice for the review of the police operations against illegal drugs. (PNA)
