By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Mayor Evelio Leonardia said Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido, head of the Bacolod City Drug Enforcement Unit, may have his basis when he labeled Bacolod as “shabulized,” following the series of illegal drug seizures, which they are not privy to.
Leonardia said the city government has not been remiss in supporting the police in anti-criminality and anti-illegal drugs campaign.
“Let’s give it to him because that is his special mission. However, we also take cognizance of the fact that the local police had also done its job,” he added.
Leonardia said the rehabilitation center and the Balay Silangan, which cost P40 million, were intended for the anti-drug campaign.
“They (police) are also given gasoline allowance amounting to almost half a million every month,” he said.
The mayor also cited that the Bacolod City Police Office is number one in the region in terms of apprehension and confiscation of illegal drugs.
This means that they are working. We have to give credit to Police Col. Henry Biñas, BCPO director, and the BCPO for lowering the volume of crime in Bacolod by about 33 percent compared to the crime volume in 2018 to 2019,” Leonardia said.
The mayor added that “it is a positive development because if the BCPO concentrates on peace and order, and Espenido concentrates on the anti-illegal drug campaign, maybe this is the solution for Bacolod to be cleansed of illegal drugs and criminality.”
But it is premature for him to say that the police lack support from the local government unit (LGU) because they have not yet talked, Leonardia said.
“If you talk about LGU’s attention to illegal drugs, we are one of the few that have invested so much on rehabilitating drug surrenderers. The 35-million Bacolod City Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Barangay Alijis, Bacolod City is part of our anti-drug campaign. They will have to find out what kind of support Espenido gets in other cities since they do not know what he needs.”