MARAWI CITY, Philippines - Officials are optimistic of more breakthroughs soon in the enforcement of Malacañang’s anti-narcotics thrusts in Lanao del Sur province with the outpouring of support from local sectors.
Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, police director for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), on Tuesday said local officials have actively been initiating workshops meant to generate community support to the resolution of domestic drug problems.
“Such activities complement the anti-narcotics campaign in Lanao del Sur of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)," Sindac said.
The most recent activity of local sectors in Lanao del Sur in support of PDEA and the Police Regional Office-ARMM was the February 20 municipal drug awareness campaign forum in Piagapo town.
More than 200 barangay officials, community elders, leaders of traditional Maranaw noble clans, representatives from local government units and the office of Lanao del Sur Gov. Bedjoria Soraya Alonto-Adiong participated in the activity.
“We are glad to see our Maranaw brothers and sisters participate in activities aimed at addressing domestic security issues, particularly the drug problems in this part of the country,” Sindac said.
The Lanao del Sur provincial police office and agents of PDEA in ARMM had arrested and filed criminal charges against dozens of drug dependents and peddlers in the past seven months.
Salma Jane Tamano, Lanao del Sur’s provincial information officer, on Tuesday said their drug awareness forum last February 20 was a continuation of the provincial anti-illegal drugs workshop facilitated in late 2016 by their governor.
The anti-narcotics program of the Lanao del Sur governor is also being supported extensively by Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra, according to Tamano.
Marawi City is the capital of Lanao del Sur, which covers 39 towns in two congressional districts.
Sindac said he has a standing order for Lanao del Sur’s provincial police director, Senior Superintendent Oscar Nantes, to ensure the safety of local officials, barangay residents and religious leaders helping PRO-ARMM and PDEA.
There were recent high-profile murders of police officers in Lanao del Sur and Marawi City that probers blamed on drug traffickers whose syndicates the victims had successfully neutralized.
ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, chairman of the inter-agency regional peace and order council, said the cooperation of Lanao del Sur’s provincial government with PDEA and PRO-ARMM will certainly bear tangible results.
“The police and PDEA cannot do the work alone. These two organizations can only succeed in their missions with the support of local executives and the general public. We support the provincial government of Lanao del Sur too in this regard,” Hataman said.