2 drug personalities nabbed in Davao Sur

DIGOS CITY — The Davao del Sur police continue to pounce on drug peddlers, beginning with street-level targets.

The first to be arrested was Manuel Bajenting Famor aka “Eman,” 47, a driver and a resident of Barangay San Isidro, Padada, Davao del Sur. Famor fell into the hands of the authorities in a joint sting operation early on Friday, May 3.

Police Major Darwin Dura, the provincial police spokesman, said the operatives seized a sachet containing shabu (crystal meth) during the buy-bust.

Five more sachets of shabu were found in his possession after the body search. The confiscated items were worth P12,000. The P500 marked money was also recovered from the suspect.

The Digos police also arrested on Friday Gregorio Catalan Barsalote, 59, a Digos resident, and a coconut grinder operator at the city’s public market.  Barsalote had a pending arrest warrant for a drug peddling case.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Aaron Aquino earlier urged local police to rally behind their efforts to curb the drug menace.

“We have to work together so that the Philippines will become free from illegal drugs in the near future. If we could clean up at least 70 to 80 percent of the villages until the end of the term of President Rodrigo Duterte I would be very happy with it. Let the next administration finish what was left,” Aquino said.

Aquino was in Digos City during the ceremonial burning of at least P3.4-million worth of marijuana plants uprooted from the mountain ranges of Kiblawan town in Davao del Sur.