Monthly Regional Webpage Update MONTH: JULY 2019 I. Significant Operational Accomplishment 1. BALAY SILANGAN SUCCESSFULLY INAUGURATED IN NORTHERN SAMAR On June 28, 2019 at about 9:30 AM, Dir. Edgar T Jubay headed the inauguration of another Balay Silangan in Eastern Visayas. The facilty is located in Barangay Guilaongi, Laoang, Northern Samar. Hon. Hector L. Ong, Municipal Mayor of Laoang Atty. Miguel L. Sarmiento, Vice-Mayor of Laoang, Madeline M. Ong, Municipal Administrative Officer of Laoang, Malou M. Ortega, MLGOO Laoang, Dr. Alice Uy Tan, RHU Laoang Representative, Jocelyn G. Cerbito, MSWD Laoang, LTCOL Hilario R. Monteron Jr. PLt Wilfedo Lapiceros, COP of Laoang MPS, Staff from the CBRWP, the Barangay Officials of the Municipality of Laoang, Northern Samar and Team PDEA (NSPO) led by IA1 Silas G. Aurelia, graced the said activity. The event was among the highlights of the graduation rites of Community Based Recovery and Wellness Program. 2. WATCHLISTED DRUG PERSONALITY CAUGHT IN ORMOC CITY Anti-Drug Elements of PDEA RO8-LPO, OCPO-CDEU PS1 and 802 Brigade CAID arrested a newly identified drug personality (watch listed) during the conduct of buy-bust Operation at Brgy. District 21, Ormoc City on July 4, 2019 at around 5:50 PM. In a report submitted to PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino elements of PDEA RO8 under Dir. Edgar T Jubay together with OCPO-CDEU PS1 and 802 Brigade CAID identified the suspect as Jerome Cajes y Cotejar alyas “Jerome” (Watchlisted), 43 y.o., male, married, jobless, resident of Brgy Linao, Ormoc City. Purchased and confiscated during the said operation were six (6) pcs. plastic sachet containing suspected shabu weighing MOL 5.0 grams with an estimated market value of Thirty-Four Thousand Pesos (Php 34,000.00). The suspect will be charged for violation of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of RA 9165 and is now temporarily detained at Ormoc CPS Lock-up Facility. 3. PDEA-8 FIRST SEMESTER PERFORMANCE Achieving the Regional Office target was never easy, but despite the struggles, PDEA RO-8 proved that a strong will is more powerful than any hardship in its pursuit of a drug-free community. In line with the mission of the Agency to attain a Drug-Free Country, this Regional Office implements three-pronged approach to address the problem of illegal drugs – Supply Reduction, Demand Reduction and Harm Reduction. Under the Supply Reduction approach, PDEA RO-8, in tandem with other law enforcement agencies, conducts anti-illegal drug operations that resulted in the neutralization of drug law violators and seize/confiscate dangerous drugs such as “Shabu” and Marijuana. From January- June 2019, the office successfully conducted (370) Three Hundred Seventy anti-drug operations, arrested Three Hundred Sixty-Nine (369) Drug Personalities, seized 406.1984 grams of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride known as Shabu and 27.6723 grams of Marijuana. To further strengthened the anti-drug campaign through the supply reduction approach, this office also conducted Forty-Two (42) Search and Seizure Operations at Jail Facilities of BJMP. The continuing Search and Seizure operations also aim to sustain the Drug-Cleared Status of the BJMP jail facilities in the region. Another function of PDEA which falls under Supply Reduction is Dangerous Drugs Regulation which aims to prevent abuse of drugs with medical use and prevent diversion of controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECS) to illegal drugs manufacturer. In the performance of this regulatory power, the office processed forty-seven (47) S@P Licenses, one hundred forty-four (144) S2 Licensed and conducted Forty-Six (46) Regulatory Compliance Inspections to hospital, pharmacies and establishments that handle/store/use CPECs. Another strategy to lessen the Drug-Affectation in the Region is the implementation of Drug Demand Reduction programs, through the Preventive Education and Community Involvement Section (PECIS) of PDEA RO8. The PECIS reached out to the grassroots level to effectively spread awareness on the ill-effects of drugs through Anti-Drug Lectures in schools, workplaces, and barangays and supplemented with the distribution of information, education and communications (IEC) materials such as the PDEA Komiks and anti- illegal drug leaflets. Further, this office has two (2) Teleradyo Programs dubbed as PDEA in Action aired with live streaming at IBC6 TV Station simulcasting DYVL Aksyon Radyo and Idol Radio FM, and the Sagubay aired every Saturday for one hour at IBC6 simulcasting Idol Radio FM. In these Teleradyo Programs, the anchors conduct Drug Awareness Symposium on air and dissemination of pertinent information. These programs received positive response from listeners and viewers. From January to June 2019, this office attended two hundred six (206) meetings, four hundred seven (407) Civic awareness/advocacy campaign, One Thousand Four Hundred Fifty-Nine (1,459) multi-media effort, and was able to reached Ten Thousand Three Hundred Forty-One (10,341) audience in PECI activities, not to mention the audience reached by the Teleradyo Programs viewed worldwide through Facebook Live streaming. To mitigate and lessen the negative effect and impact of drug use and the intensive enforcement of the anti-illegal drug law, PDEA implements Harm Reduction Programs. These include the establishment of Balay Silangan which caters to the reformation of drug pushers that opted to surrender and those drug offenders that availed of plea-bargain agreement. As of June 2019, four (4) Balay Silangan were established in Tacloban City, Barugo Leyte, Calbayog City and Laoang, Northern Samar. Another means of mitigating the effect of the drug use is the conduct of drug tests to members of the transport sector, through the implementation of “OPLAN HARABAS” and “OPLAN HULIWEEK” which aim to prevent drug-related traffic accidents therefore safeguarding the riding public and other road users. A total of One Thousand One Hundred Forty-One (1,141) drivers, helper and employees were subjected to Random Drug Tests wherein six (6) tested positive and were referred for Community Based Rehabilitation Program. Another important strategy in the attainment of a Drug-Free Country is the Barangay Drug Clearing Program. This is a holistic program which combined the Supply, Demand and Harm reduction approach to clear the barangays from illegal drugs. At present, the Regional Oversight Committee for Barangay Drug Clearing Program, chaired by PDEA, has already declared Two Thousand Three Hundred-Three (2,303) barangays as Drug-Cleared out of the Two Thousand Eight Hundred Sixty-Eight (2,868) Drug-Affected Barangays in the Region. The success of the Barangay Drug Clearing Program is the result of the collaborative effort of the different government agencies and other stakeholders in Eastern Visayas. This is indeed a great achievement, but PDEA RO8 will not stop here. The men and women of PDEA, with GOD’s blessing and the support of the people of Eastern Visayas, will further intensify the war on drugs and ultimately achieve a Drug Free Region. 4. FOUR PDEA K9 HANDLERS WITH NARCOTICS DETECTION DOGS DEPLOYED IN PDEA EASTERN VISAYAS Palo Leyte- Four (4) K9 Handlers with four (4) Narcotics Detection Dogs (NDD) finally arrived in PDEA RO8 on July 19, 2019. These handlers are well trained and will be assigned in the Province of Northern Samar and Southern Leyte to prevent the entry and exit of illegal drugs through seaports/airports. The PDEA K9 handlers and their newly-acquired narcotic detection dogs (NDDs) partners have undergone six months of intensive training to prepare them to provide support in anti-illegal drug operations. The newly minted man-dog teams will bolster PDEA’s monitoring and interdiction capabilities in the country’s airports and seaports, sweeping searches on baggage, cargoes and parcels, events monitoring, greyhound operations in jails and custodial facilities, and detection of New Psychoactive Substances being rampantly used as party drugs. PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino spearheaded the graduation ceremony of the new man-and-dog teams belonging to PDEA K9 Handlers’ Basic Course 2018-14 Class “NAGTALAD” on July 10, 2019, at Zemog K9 Training Center, Sitio Puting Bato, Inarawan, Antipolo City. 5. PDEA JOINT STING DISMANTLED A DRUG DEN IN CEBU CITY Anti-Drug Elements of PDEA RO8 and PDEA RO7 arrested seven drug personalities during the conduct of buy-bust Operation at 226 Cogon A. Lopez, Brgy. Labangon, Cebu City on July 21, 2019 at around 7:00 PM which resulted to the dismantling of a drug den. In a report submitted to PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino elements of PDEA RO8 under Dir. Edgar T Jubay together with PDEA RO7 under Dir. Wardley M. Getalla identified the suspects as Augustine Taboada alias “Kangkang” (Drug Den Maintainer), 23 y.o., single, resident of Cogon A. Lopez, Brgy. Labangon, Cebu City; Riez Jergen, 28 y.o., single, resident of Cogon A. Lopez, Brgy. Labangon, Cebu City; Eric Nunez, 40 y.o., single, resident of Cogon A. Lopez, Brgy Labangon, Cebu City; Renaldo Pitos, 29 y.o., single, resident of Cogon A. Lopez, Brgy Labangon, Cebu City; Ariel Valeinte, 43 y.o., married, resident of Echavez St., Cebu City; Nicasio Mapalo, Jr., 54 y.o., single, resident of Babag II, Lapul Lapu City; and Alexis Borbon, 40 y.o., single, and resident of Sudlon, Maguikay, Mandaue City. Purchased and confiscated during the said operation were three (3) pcs. plastic sachet containing suspected shabu weighing MOL 12 grams with an estimated market value of Eighty-One Thousand Six-Hundred Pesos (Php81,600.00) and various drug paraphernalia. The suspects will be charged for violation of Section 5, 6,7,11,12 and 15 Article II of RA 9165 and are now temporarily detained at PDEA RO7 Detention Facility. 6. ANOTHER DRUG DEN IN CEBU CITY DISMANTLED Anti-Drug Elements of PDEA RO8 and PDEA RO7 arrested five drug personalities during the conduct of buy-bust Operation at Sitio Cogon, Brgy.