BACOLOD, Philippines – Police called on the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to step up port inspections after authorities confiscated nearly P7 million worth of suspected shabu (meth) in two separate drug stings in Bacolod City on Sunday and Monday, October 13 and 14.
The Bacolod police said this as it anticipated more shabu distributions in the city while it celebrates the MassKara Festival.
Authorities seized P6.8 million worth of suspected shabu on separate occasions during the third and fourth days of the MassKara Festival, according to Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) director Colonel Joeresty Coronica.
Led by the Bacolod police’s Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), a drug buy-bust in Purok Rose, Barangay 9, on Monday morning, resulted in the arrest of three suspects – two identified by the police only as Beth and Pet, and a 60-year-old man.
Coronica said the operation yielded P3.4 million worth of the banned substance.
The Barangay 9 raid occurred just hours after a similar operation in Purok Hollow Blocks, Barangay Singcang-Airport, where police also seized P3.4 million worth of suspected shabu.
Police said they arrested a 37-year-old suspect, a certain Biboy, of Capitol Heights Subdivision in Barangay Villamonte.
Coronica told Rappler on Tuesday, October 15, that the Bacolod police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) have requested the PCG to conduct inspection operations at all ports in Bacolod and Negros Occidental to deter the entry of shabu.
He said intensified port inspections are among the best security measures to stop the distribution of shabu.
“The PCG plays a vital role in these port inspections because it is within their jurisdiction. We cannot overlap with their authority and security territory in terms of port measures,” said Coronica.
Brigadier General Jack Wanky, police director for Region VI, meanwhile, said authorities would ramp up security measures throughout the entire city during the MassKara festivities, which are set to conclude on October 27.
The MassKara Festival, held annually in Bacolod, is known for its street dancing, music, and colorful masks symbolizing the resilience and optimism of Bacolodnons.
Through the years, the festival has grown into a major cultural and tourist event featuring dance competitions, food fairs, live concerts, and beauty pageants, attracting visitors from across the country and abroad. – Rappler.com