DUMAGUETE CITY – The newly-appointed Acting Provincial Police Director of Negros Oriental has assured Governor Roel Degamo to do his best and continue his predecessor’s relentless campaign against prohibited drugs as well as other crime-related activities in the province.
Sr. Supt. Edwin Portento paid a courtesy call on Gov. Degamo at the Capitol on Tuesday after he replaced Sr. Supt. Henry Biñas, who was tasked by Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director General Ronald Dela Rosa, to head the Iloilo City police.
The new police director told the governor that definitely, as mandated by the PNP chief, emphasis will be given on the war on hard drugs.
Portento declared that it is not the number of arrests made that will count but the quality of anti-drug operations being conducted by the police.
He issued the statement in the wake of observations that almost every day, arrests are made in different parts of Negros Oriental but illegal drugs continue to proliferate.
Observations showed that drugs confiscated in most of the anti-drug operations weigh less than five grams.
Portento stressed during his conversation with Degamo that President Rodrigo Duterte and the PNP chief want the men in uniform to strictly observe police operational procedures during the conduct of raids, implementation of search warrants and buy-bust operations, to avoid criticisms on the manner their operations are conducted.
Being new to the province, Portento does not yet have all the answers as to why illegal drugs proliferate in spite of the number of arrests made.
For his part, Degamo told the police to value life but would not want them to die while performing his or her duty especially in the campaign against illegal drugs.
Portento told reporters to watch him perform in the next few days and months in terms of complying with the mandate of the President, the Chief PNP and Degamo.
Meanwhile, records from the Negros Oriental PNP show that from January to August 28 this year, during the stint of the Sr. Supt Biñas, there were 303 pushers and 39 drug users arrested in 248 anti-drug operations.
Of the total number of operations, 21,428.03 grams of suspected "shabu" were confiscated as well as 4.89 grams of marijuana with a total Dangerous Drugs Board value of Php 694,229.7 million.
A total of 388 cases were filed in different regional trial courts in Negros Oriental.
Portento is a “mistah” or classmate of Biñas and both belong to Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Class 1995.
Portento was assigned at the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) of the PNP Regional Office-7 (PRO-7) in Central Visayas prior to his designation as Negros Oriental provincial police director. (With a report from Juancho Gallarde/PNA)
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