Pubdate: Thu, 04 Aug 2005 Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines) Copyright: 2005 Philippine Daily Inquirer Contact: http://www.inquirer.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1073 Author: Delmar Cario Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Philippines POLICE WANT OWNERS OF MARIJUANA PLANTATIONS NAMED LA TRINIDAD, Benguet-The government must exert all efforts to identify the owners of lands where marijuana is grown so they can be properly charged in court, police officials here said. Senior Supt. Villamor Bumanglag, Benguet police director, said the proper identification of landowners is the best way to stop the cultivation of marijuana in the Cordillera. In raids conducted on marijuana plantations in the region, policemen destroy plants and seedlings but rarely arrest cultivators or owners of the farms. Bumanglag said the police and the military have been unrelenting in their operations to wipe out marijuana plantations in the region, especially during summer when the plants are ready for harvest. No Identities "But these areas are sometimes replanted because we do not know who own them," Bumanglag told reporters here on Wednesday. "We need to know the owners. We do not even know if the lands planted with marijuana are privately or publicly owned," he said. Bumanglag said the remaining marijuana plantations in the region are located in "very remote areas accessible only by foot." He said growers are emboldened to cultivate marijuana because of the region's mountainous terrain and absence of roads that would make it difficult for law enforcers to detect if farms are planted with the illegal weed. Ideal Location He said most of these farms are found in the boundaries of Mt. Province, Ifugao, Benguet and the Ilocos. In Benguet, Bumanglag said marijuana farms still exist in remote villages in Bakun, Kapangan and Kibungan towns. Supt. Alexander Pumecha, information officer of the Cordillera police, said the Department of Land Reform must find time to go to these remote areas to identify the plantations' owners. Pumecha said the Department of Agriculture must also conduct feasibility studies in these areas to determine the best alternative crops for farmers. He said farmers would avoid planting marijuana once cash crops suited for their areas are identified. But the best remedy, Pumecha said, is for the government to build roads in these areas so farmers can transport their agricultural products. "These farm-to-market roads will discourage farmers from cultivating marijuana," he said. - ---