PRESIDENT-ELECT RODRIGO ‘”I HATE DRUGS’  DUTERTE, is best loved by allies and foes alike for his mail-fisted crusade against drugs.

It  is true in Bohol , as well,  wherein  at least 63% of Boholanos think the drug menace is a serious societal problem and 70% of crimes appear to be drug-related.

Duterte had promised P 3-M for a dead drug lord and P2.9M for each of those captured alive. But he is pissed with policemen,  the supposed  community’s watchdogs, who are users, protectors or user-protectors of the drug/trade.

Police chiefs report to the town or city mayors and thus Digong says there are 35 LGUs abetting the proliferation of the drug trade.  He also gave three generals assigned in Camp Crame involved in criminality  (including drugs)  – to spare themselves the indignity of public exposure by resigning before Duterte does the firing.

The public is not stupid. They know that the drug trade will not thrive without the overt or covert participation of some policemen and some  public officials.

Policemen everywhere must get their act together before the “Apocalypse” descends upon them – at a least expected time and   it will be without mercy.

The Regional -based groups and the Inabanga police force  recently raided and killed a  known Inabanga drug lord and illegal weapons holder David Anunciado and four of his men.  The regional offices  are validating intelligence reports that some of the  cache of weapons seized were  allegedly supplied by policemen. And that some were allegedly used by some politicians.

Provincial PNP head Senior Supt Dennis Agustin is totally pissed ,as well, in his announcement that 7 police officers  here are in the Camp Dagohoy Watchlist for drug protection. There are other police officers who are also suspected to be drug users ,not necessarily protectors.

A police officer  assigned in Guindulman has been  recently nabbed for theft and robbery and suspected to be a drug user by the city police authorities for his involvement in a series of city apartment burglaries.

Very clearly, therefore, the police is now divided between the “good cops” and the “bad cops”.

The comforting side is that this year we see the drug trade  slowly crumbling under a Panzer -pincher type of assault against them from all fronts. The 47th Battalion of the Bohol military of 300 men is now also  under training to pair with the police in the final wave against the drug goons.

There have been some successes. Drug Lady Maida Q. Jabines fell into the dragnet in April after a top drug peddler Eddie Vano was also accosted.  The notorious drug network of “Yawa” and “Tatay”  plying the drug malady in both Bohol and Cebui- was recently neutralized along with seven of their follower in Getafe.

The news of the catch of multi-million drug stuff landed in the national dailies and TV networks. This  week some P500,000 worth  of shabu were nabbed by a joint NBI and police forces in the towns of Loboc,Panglao,Clarin and Guindulman.

What is apparent from the above is that if the police force puts its heart into the anti-drug operations, the ugly nightmare will fall apart like a deck of cards. But if  it does not -and even –abets the dangerous crime, it will thrive like water lilies in the river.

We believe that the local police leadership ,with the military and the NBI, will make a Grand Assault on the remnants of the dangerous drug triad of drug lords, police protectors and their allied public officials.

The good news is that  “good cops” and the “good politicians” far out number the “bad ones”.

This is the right time to clean up the stable once and for all. The public is behind them- 110%.

For comments: email to dejarescobingo@yahoo.com or bohol-rd@mozcom.com