TINGLAYAN, Kalinga – Kalinga authorities recently uprooted and burned a total of 73,950 fully grown marijuana plants worth PhP14.7 million in five separate eradication operations in Tinglayan, Kalinga recently.
The Kalinga Police Provincial Office (KPPO), with support from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Kalinga, raided and cleared seven marijuana plantations in barangays Buscalan, Butbut Proper, Ngibat, and Loccong in the municipality of Tinglayan.
According to PCapt. Raffy Manganip, Deputy Community Relations Officer, the eradication operation is part of the PNP’s ongoing efforts to reduce the availability of marijuana paraphernalia trafficked from Kalinga to other parts of the country.
Police report states that no cultivators were apprehended during the operations. However, Manganip assured that the PNP-Kalinga is conducting follow-up investigations to identify and apprehend those responsible.
“The rugged and mountainous terrain of Kalinga presents challenges in apprehending cultivators, as they can easily scatter seeds in remote mountainous areas, allowing marijuana plants to thrive unchecked. But we are committed to continuing our investigations to identify those behind these illegal plantations,” Manganip explained.
Meanwhile, PCol Freddie M. Lazona, Acting Provincial Director, commended the operatives on their relentless efforts to eradicate these illegal plantations, and urged support from the public to prevent the proliferation of illegal drugs in the province.
In a similar crackdown operation on March 21, authorities destroyed marijuana plants worth PhP5.05 million in joint PNP-PDEA operations in Tinglayan and Rizal, Kalinga. By Ruth Cupang
