Bacolod cops lack funds for surveillance

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is somehow having difficulty in running after big drug personalities here because of insufficiency of funds for stakeout or surveillance operations.

Police Colonel Henry Biñas, BCPO officer-in-charge, told Daily Guardian on Friday that operatives cannot stay longer in a specific area especially outside the city, to continue their monitoring because they only have limited resources.

But Biñas stressed that the lack of fund does not prevent them from doing their jobs.

“We will continue to do what we can in our own little way based on the available resources,” he said.

At present, at least four big drug personalities are being watched by BCPO.

Biñas said these personalities are not in the city, based on their recent monitoring through reports, but the BCPO will not stop following leads that could result in their apprehension.

In a span of one week, more than P700,000 worth of suspected shabu were seized here.

Biñas said he cannot yet tell if there is really a significant reduction in the supply and demand of drugs here following their recent accomplishments, because it changes every week or every month.

But he noted that there is somehow improvement in the drug situation compared to the previous years wherein the illegal drug trade was very rampant.

“We need to see what’s really on the ground to get to the big catch. That’s why we are operating small time drug personalities to penetrate their small markets and prevent big personalities behind them from distributing and supplying illegal drugs to them,” Biñas said.

They would usually leave their markets to their trusted men here to continue their illegal activities while they are hiding somewhere far from the city, he added.

“We will never stop until all drug personalities are in jail.”

Biñas said the public should not worry because the police are still in control of the situation and doing what they can to solve the drug menace in the society.

Meanwhile, Biñas said 10 barangays here were identified by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Negros Occidental as eligible candidates for the barangay drug clearing program during the City-Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Cadac) meeting held at the Bacolod City Government Center last Thursday.

The Cadac members are focusing on aiding these villages to attain the drug cleared status.