LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Police Regional Office-Cordillera arrested 43 wanted personalities during a week-long intensified manhunt operations from Sept. 10 to 16.
The PRO-Cor Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division (RIDMD) report showed the Benguet Police Provincial Office (PPO) recorded the highest number of arrests with 16 wanted persons, followed by the Baguio City Police Office and Ifugao PPO with nine arrests each.
Mountain Province PPO and Apayao PPO had three arrests each, Abra PPO with two arrests, and Kalinga PPO with one.
Out of the 43 arrested personalities, nine are listed as most wanted persons with three most wanted personalities at the provincial level, five at the municipal level, and one at the city level.
In the same report, the PRO-Cor RIDMD reported 64 municipalities in the region recorded zero crime from Sept. 10 to 16.
Zero crime were recorded in 23 out of the 27 municipalities in Abra, nine out of the 13 municipalities in Benguet, 10 out of 11 municipalities in Ifugao, nine out of 10 municipalities in Mountain Province, six out of seven municipalities in Apayao, and all the seven municipalities in Kalinga.
Three out of the 10 police stations of the Baguio City Police Office also recorded zero crime, namely Legarda Police Station 5, Aurora Hill Police Station 6, and Kennon Road Police Station 8.
Meanwhile, the PRO-Cor Regional Operations Division (ROPD) reported a total of P5,432,152 worth of illegal drugs have been seized during anti-illegal drug operations, including drug buy-bust and marijuana eradication operations during the same period.
The ROPD reported 11 drug personalities were arrested after they were caught in possession of a total of 9.14 grams of shabu, with an overall standard drug price of P62,152.
Four arrests were made by the operatives of the BCPO, followed by the Benguet PPO, Abra PPO, and Ifugao PPO, with two arrests each, and one arrest made by the operatives of PRO-Cor Regional Drugs Enforcement Unit.
All arrested suspects and confiscated pieces of evidence were brought to their respective arresting units, while charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are being prepared against them.
In separate marijuana eradication operations, six clandestine marijuana plantation sites were discovered in Benguet with a total of 200,750 fully grown marijuana plants, 500 marijuana seedlings, and 40,000 dried marijuana leaves and fruiting tops with an overall standard drug price of P5,370,000. These were all burned by operatives after documentation and follow-up operations are being conducted to identify the cultivators. – Redjie Melvic Cawis
