Police’s drug seizures rise, but supply keeps coming

By Jennifer P. Rendon

On average, Western Visayas police confiscated more than six kilograms of shabu in a month.

But as aggressively as Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 operatives conduct anti-narcotics operations, drug distributors continue getting their supply into the region.

“Within the area of Western Visayas, ang illegal drugs marami pa rin talaga. But we will not rest. We will continue our campaign because marami pa ring pumapalit dun sa mga nahuhuli nating nagtutulak. May mahuli tayo, magtatagal sa kulungan and yet may papalit,” Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, Western Visayas police chief, said in a press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

He added this is not at all surprising since, basically, the illegal drug trade is an easy-money, tax-free business.

Since it is lucrative, pushers cannot just let go.

“But PRO-6, as part of our mandate, we would continue our campaign against illegal drugs, especially on the supply reduction,” Ligan said.

He is optimistic that the relentless drive will lessen the illegal drug trade in the region.

Ligan said they are conducting intelligence analysis so they can determine who is behind the illegal drug business in Western Visayas.

He added they are interlinking information they got from hundreds of arrested drug personalities to find out who is running the illegal drug activities in a certain area.

For his first 100 days as Western Visayas police chief, PRO-6 seized 19.678 kilograms of suspected shabu worth PHP 132,000,000.

It was a result of the 391 anti-narcotics operations conducted from June 19 to Sept. 26, 2025.

For the period, there were 192 high-value individuals and 333 street-level pushers who were arrested.