SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma directed law enforcers in the Subic Bay Freeport to intensify operations against criminality during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) here.
Eisma issued the order following the arrest here last Wednesday of two suspected drug pushers in a joint operation by the Olongapo City police and the SBMA Law Enforcement Department (LED) at the Subic Gateway Park.
The suspects identified by Olongapo City police director Col. Benjamin Sembrano, Jr. as La-Verne Gabriel y Echalar, of Barangay New Cabalan, Olongapo City and Elmer Padel, Sr. y Lila, of Subic, Zambales reportedly yielded shabu or methamphetamine with street value of P750,000.
“We should strengthen and widen police operations in the Freeport to deter illegal activities during the ECQ because some culprits may be emboldened to commit crimes now that they see there are only a few people around,” Eisma said.
“We should prove these criminals wrong,” Eisma said. “You’ve done a good job getting the pushers, so I say go after the users too, because pushers won’t be selling illegal drugs when there is no demand for the stuff,” she added.
Eisma also stressed the SBMA “is solidly behind the President’s war against illegal drugs.”
At the same time, the SBMA chief noted that despite ECQ constraints that minimized the operations of the Subic agency to essential services, “security and law enforcement units continue to be fully operational.”
“Patrols are, in fact, more frequent these days because there are a lot of businesses that have temporarily closed their facilities and the SBMA is looking after these, too,” Eisma pointed out.