Davao Sur governor wants drug pushing suspects ‘flushed out’

DIGOS CITY, Philippines — Davao del Sur Governor Claude Bautista ordered police chiefs of the 15 towns of the province and of nearby Davao Occidental, and this city, to draw a list of suspected drug personalities in their areas and immediately start “flushing them out.”

Along with the order, Bautista also told police chiefs – and the Davao del Sur police director, Senior Superintendent Michael John Dubria – to also run after killers-for-hire.

Bautista and Dubria still exercise supervision over the towns of Malita, Sarangani, Jose Abad Santos, Don Marcelino and Sta. Maria even if these areas had become part of Davao Occidental already. The first election for the newly created province will be conducted in 2016.

During Thursday’s emergency command conference that he presided here, Bautista said he believed that chiefs of police knew who the drug personalities in their areas were and it was also not difficult for them to identify hired guns.

“It puzzles me why there had been few accomplishments on anti-drugs efforts such as apprehensions,” he said.

In this city alone, more than two dozen suspected drug dealers had been arrested and charged since the start of 2014, the city police chief, Superintendent Querubin Manalang, said.

But Bautista said he wondered why the drug problem persisted in the province.

“We need to do more than just wait for suspects to be caught-handed. We have to identify who the players are, arrest and charge them, regardless of their stature and political affiliations,” he said.

Bautista said he was even willing to provide rewards for those with major accomplishments.

Dubria was threatening when he told police chiefs to make accomplishments or “be relieved.”

He said that with the support the police have been getting from Bautista, there was no reason for them not to apprehend major drug dealers. He cited the recent pledge by Bautista to supply motorcycles, firearms and ammunition to the police.

“Nakakahiya (It’s a shame). There are areas that have zero accomplishments. And we don’t even know why,” Dubria said without identifying areas where the police had zero accomplishments against drug dealers.

In an earlier interview, Hagonoy town Mayor Franco Magno Calida said drug dealers have proliferated in Barangay (village) Guihing, especially because some members of the civilian volunteers organization have been involved in drug pushing.

Calida cited the arrest two weeks ago of Guihing CVO chief Judy Vargas; and CVO members Jerry Abadilla and Nemesio Bengil were arrested during a buy-bust operation.

“Guihing has become the shabu capital of this town because the very people involved in the illegal drugs trade there are people in authority,” Calida told reporters.

Bautista said he wanted the drug problem in Davao del Sur reduced dramatically in the coming months.

But he made it clear that the police should always follow the law.

He said this was why he was also ordering them to run after guns-for-hire.

Hired guns threaten the safety of every resident, according to Bautista. With a report from Orlando Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao