CEBU City police chiefs should maximize their efforts against illegal drugs and illegal gambling to avoid being included in the one-strike policy that will soon be implemented.
Police Regional Director (PRO) 7 Noli Taliño said that all police offices in the region need to conduct more arrests on illegal activities.
“Medyo mababa yung accomplishments, pero kulang pa rin, kaya pina-follow-up natin sila at ni-remind ko ang station commanders to intensify their campaign against illegal gambling (Their accomplishments are still lacking that’s why we’re reminding them to intensify their campaign against illegal gambling),” Taliño said.
After Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s pronouncement that he wanted the personnel of Police Station 6 to be replaced and their allowance suspended, they conducted an operation and confiscated 61 video carrerra and mole-mole machines in Barangay Suba in the last two days.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Joel Doria said he urged the station commanders of the 11 police stations to conduct more arrests in their area of responsibility to avoid being relieved from their posts.
“They should not rest because even if we are one of the registered officers with the most number arrested persons, hindi yun grounds para mag-relax pa. It’s really lacking, that’s why we have to double time or triple time the operations,” Doria said.
Relief
Under the one-strike policy, if a special task group from the mother unit first operates in the AOR of that particular police station than them, the police director may recommend the relief of the chief for failure to arrest the suspects in their locality.
“Pinupokpok natin ang station commanders natin to give their best at tsaka hindi grounds yung sinasabi nating accomplishments nila to lie low (We’re pressuring our station commanders to give their best and their accomplishments are not grounds for them to lie low),” he said.
Recently, 26 policemen from the Carbon Police were relieved from their posts, and that almost 40 personnel from the said station were also relieved since August.
The move came after the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 conducted a raid in a drug den near the Ermita barangay hall.
“What is happening, based on our observation, is that drug users and pushers alike are using these gambling machines as a front to justify their presence in the area,” Doria said.
“In just one house, many persons are visiting under the guise that they’re playing video carrera, but it’s actually where the selling of drugs happen,” he added.
Doria said the police chiefs are given an ultimatum before they are assessed if they are performing effectively or not.
“We will be conducting a massive operation against illegal drugs and illegal gambling and after this specific time that we’re giving, we’ll see if these activities are still rampant,” he said.
They will be assessed by the PRO-7’s Oversight Committee.
Campaign
Chief Insp. Keith Andaya, for his part, said that even before the statement was made, they have already intensified their fight against illegal gambling.
“Before sa statement, nangdakop na ta daan. So pag-gawas sa statement, atong gipahingusgan to make sure a statement nga sayop na. Ang amoa diri trabaho lang (We already conducted arrests even before the statement. So when it was released, we intensified our operations to make our own statement that it’s wrong. We’re just doing our job),” Andaya said.