DAGUPAN CITY — The Dagupan City police said only 21 barangays have been officially cleared of illegal drugs as of morning of Dec. 22, comprising 67.6 percent of the total 31 barangays in the city.
However, Supt. Neil Miro, chief of police, said five to six more barangays are now subjects of clearing operations and may be declared drug-free in the next few days before Dec. 31.
This, he said, could bring the number of drug-cleared barangays from 25 to 26 before Dec. 31 which is 82 to 90 percent of the total 31 Dagupan villages.
He said the clearing of some barangays is on hold yet, citing the case of Barangay II because of some information he gathered that some unidentified men are still visiting the village at night.
The other problematic barangays, according to Miro, are Bonuan Gueset, Bonuan Boquig, Pantal and the island villages of Calmay and Pugaro.
Earlier, Miro revealed that a drug personality which they considered as high-value target to whom they were serving a search warrant in Barangay Calmay was able to escape due to possible tip given by his cohort posted at the boat boarding area in Poblacion Oestre.
He said they will possibly revise their operational strategy in order to finally bag the suspect in Barangay Calmay.
At the same time, he revealed the drug suspect they are looking for in Barangay Pugaro is identified with the Garcia Group, and whose brother was arrested in an earlier operation of the police.
Miro said although Sitio Tondaligan was already deserted by Muslims who moved to the area starting in the ’80s, its mother village Bonuan Gueset could not yet be cleared.
The same is true in Barangay Pantal which cannot yet be cleared, although its once notorious Sitio Aling near Arellano Street, was already declared as drug-free and is now a haven of peace.
In Bonuan Boquig, it is not yet cleared because some of the listed drug personalities from that village have not yet been accounted for.
Miro revealed there are still 50 drug personalities to be accounted for in the 10 villages yet to cleared, from 1,500 since August 2 when he assumed as chief of police of Daguan.
Under him, the Dagupan City Police was able to arrest and send to prison some 100 drug personalities. There were six persons who were killed in legitimate armed encounters with the police while they were implementing anti-drug operations including 33 persons whose deaths are now under investigation.
He revealed that there are 140 policemen in Dagupan on duty for two shifts, at least 12 hours in each shift.
They are beefed up this Yuletide season by at least 10 personnel from the Regional Public Safety Battalion. Leonardo Micua/PNA-northboundasia.com