PDEA 11 to focus on Lenten season

By EJ Dominic Fernandez
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 11 will heighten its campaign against illegal-drugs this coming Holy Week season.
PDEA Davao director Emerson Rosales bared during the iSpeak forum at the City Hall yesterday that his department will double its efforts during Holy Week as it expects a surge of tourists in the city which could lead to illegal drugs-related cases.
“PDEA will not have a holiday break while going after drug dealers, just as drug dealers have no holidays during the Holy Week,” he said.
“Every vacation season, such as Christmas, Araw ng Dabaw, Kadayawan and others, we see an increase in drug related cases because to drug dealers it is an opportunity to double their business through tourists,” he said.
Rosales assured that PDEA would continue their anti-illegal drug activities to keep the Holy Week safe and peaceful.
He pointed to was the latest drug bust last Tuesday where a firefighter was arrested in possession of illegal drugs valued at P1,080,000 and considered as the biggest haul this year.
Rosales referred to the arrest of an illegal-drugs supplier in one of the barangays along  Quezon Boulevard and another one in Sasa.
One of the reasons behind the success of the anti-drug campaign of late is the TukTuk Hangyo (Tukhang) program of the authorities in Davao City.
Rosales says the drug trade is very lucrative and that as long as there are users there will always be drug dealers, prompting the PDEA to advocate cutting down the demand for illegal-drugs.
“So far, we are successful in lowering the demand for illegal-drugs and it is evident as our strong advocacy against illegal drugs in Davao City is being recognized at the national level and even in South East Asia,” he said.
“I can’t give orders to the police, but I would recommend that activities and programs against illegal drugs in the city be applied in the rest of the country,” he said.
“The national PDEA and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are actually studying the peace and order system of Davao City so that they can apply it in their respective areas, too,” he said.