TF Bakhaw to cover Odicta drug haven

By Tara Yap

MALIPAYON-DELGADO is next on the list of the region’s top cop who makes a high profile pitch on wiping out the illegal drug trade in Iloilo City.

C/Supt. Cipriano Querol Jr. has directed the newly resurrected Task Force Bakhaw to also cover Malipayon-Delgado believed to be controlled by the Odicta drug group in the City Proper.

TF Bakhaw was originally reestablished to monitor the illegal drug activities in Mandurriao district, which is believed to be under the control of the Prevendido group, the other notorious illegal drug syndicate in the city.

Supt. Eugenio Espejo, acting city police director, disclosed that there is no definite timeframe when TF Bakhaw will formally operate in Malipayon-Delgado area.

However, Espejo stressed that Bakhaw is still the priority given its larger area where the rate of buying and selling of illegal drugs is more widespread.

“In Malipayon-Delgado, there are only two entry and exit points while in Bakhaw there are seven,” Espejo said.

Also, Espejo pointed out that TF Bakhaw in Bakhaw village still needs additional personnel and it does not have the capacity to deploy a team in Malipayon-Delgado area as of the moment.

Espejo also noted that the police will have to properly coordinate with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-6) who has better knowledge of the ins and outs of the illegal drug trade in both Bakhaw and Malipayon-Delgado areas.