Pubdate: Fri, 04 Jul 2003 Source: Sunstar Davao (Philippines) Copyright: 2003 Sunstar Contact: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1991 Note: also listed for feedback SURRENDER OF PUSHERS WON'T SOLVE DRUG WOES POLICE on Thursday said the recent mass surrender of drug pushers and users in Davao is not a solution to the city's worsening drug problem. Chief Insp. Matthew Baccay, San Pedro police chief, said the voluntary surrender of drug pushers and users maybe a good sign but it is not a guarantee that they would stay "clean" in the future. "In a way that's nice. But with my experience in Toril (Baccay's former assignment) there were surrenderees, yet they still continue their drug pushing activities," Baccay said. As of Thursday, a total of 43 drug pushers and users have voluntarily surrendered to Davao City police following a series of executions allegedly perpetrated by the shadowy anti-drug vigilante group, Davao Death Squad (DDS). Chief Insp. Leonardo Felonia, chief of the Sasa police, earlier said the mass surrender of suspected drug users and pushers in his area of responsibility (AOR) is in line with their intensified campaign against illegal drugs. He said the surrenderees' names would be recorded in the police logbook for future references. They were released later and warned that they will be continuously monitored to ensure they will not go back to using or pushing illegal drugs. Baccay, for his part, urged drug pushers and users on their watch list to surrender. He said that a total of 112 drug users and 65 pushers are on the watch list submitted by barangay officials under their area of responsibility (AOR). Most of the drug suspects, he said, are "istambays," including a son of a lady doctor residing along Legaspi Street. Threatened He added that most of the barangays that submitted a drug watch list are classified as threatened areas, where not more than 1 percent of its residents, but not less than five, are drug pushers. The two other classifications of drug-affected barangays are: serious -- where 2.5 percent of residents are into illegal drugs; less serious -- where more than 1 percent of total population are into drugs. "There is no such thing as drug-free. But within my area all of the barangays fall under threatened area," Baccay said. The barangays with the most numbers of pushers and users are barangays 76-A Bucana and Brgy 19-A Garcia Heights. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens