Pending drug cases increasing

By MONTESA GRIÑO-CAOYONAN

ILOILO City – Every year, the number of drug cases pending in various courts region wide are increasing.

For this year alone, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 6 (PDEA-6) recorded a total of 2,952 cases since January.

Of the said number, 1,078 are in Bacolod City, 935 in this city, 344 in Negros Occidental, and 247 in Iloilo Province.

The Capiz Police Provincial Office has 158 pending cases while Aklan has 138, Antique - 32 and Guimaras - 20.

Paul Ledesma, PDEA-6 officer-in-charge, said the slow resolution of the cases is due to the few prosecutors and courts handling the drug cases.

“Our anti-drug operations and apprehensions are increasing every month, thus more drug cases are being filed in courts,” he said.

The PDEA-6 has conducted 37 operations that resulted to the arrest of 48 drug personalities under their drug watchlist.

Last year, the PDEA-6 conducted 302 drug operations and arrested 448 drug personalities.

Ledesma said there are still 430 drug-free affected barangays and 1,111 drug personalities in their drug watchlist in Western Visayas who are under their tight monitoring./PN