Taking the cue from the public sympathy for the Filipino drug mules who are facing execution in China, the local police have appealed for public support in the fight against drugs.{{more}}
Special Investigator Ivy Oledan of the local Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) here lamented the seemingly passive attitude of the community in the drive against illegal drugs.
“Sadly, the community members who know about these things won’t care to report it to us. Most of the time, the persons who come to tip us off are those who have become affected, such as a loved one or a family member has become involved in the illegal drugs trade,” said Oledan.
Oledan and Provincial Police Director Col. Rey Lyndon Lawas both appealed to the public to report to them any information on drug activities in their communities.
‘There are certain information about illegal operations that only the public has access to,” Lawas said.
Lawas said the scheduled March 30 execution of the three convicted Filipino drug mules should serve as a lesson to everyone, and a serious warning to those involved, or may be thinking of getting involved, in illegal drugs trafficking.
“Poverty is not an excuse to join the illegal drugs trade. Don’t let yourselves be used as drug mules,” the police director said.
Lawas also noted the need to review the security measures in the Philippines to find out how the Filipino drug couriers were able to slip past local security and end up being caught in China. (RMN/PIA-7 Negros Oriental)