‘Bagong Pilipinas’ Campaign Seizes PHP2.5 Billion in Illegal Drugs in Central Visayas

CEBU CITY — The ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ anti-drug initiative has successfully confiscated illegal drugs valued at PHP2.5 billion in Central Visayas since the onset of the Marcos administration.

According to Philippines News Agency, Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, director of the Police Regional Office 7 (Central Visayas), expressed gratitude for the local community’s support, which has been crucial to the campaign’s success. He reported that police operatives executed 14,033 sting operations from June 30, 2022, to July 31, 2024, during a Bagong Pilipinas forum held on Tuesday.

Aberin emphasized that the massive drug haul reflects a significant dent in the drug trade within the region, describing the situation as manageable. “We cannot say that we are that successful in the fight natin. However, we can see that the PHP2.5 billion worth of seized illegal drugs is a great reduction, and at the same time, the arrest of 17,059 drug personalities and clearing 71 percent of barangays means something,” he remarked.

In the two-year span, the PRO-7 confiscated 360.6 kg of shabu and 270.9 kg of marijuana, with a total of PHP1.2 billion worth of illegal drugs destroyed so far. Aberin noted that Cebu remains a critical focus of the anti-narcotics efforts due to its role as a transshipment point for drugs coming from Luzon.