The newly installed Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 6 Director said yesterday that he hopes to address the problem of the 306 illegal drug-affected barangays in Western Visayas, 96 of them in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.

Edwin Layese, who was formerly PDEA Director of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao, swapped posts with Yogi Filemon Ruiz Friday.

A former army lieutenant, he used to be assigned at the 11th Infantry Battalion in Negros Occidental before he left the military service to join the PDEA in 2010.

Layese told the DAILY STAR that he will visit Bacolod City and Negros Occidental in two weeks to meet local government officials and the community.

He said he will also intensify the partnership of PDEA with the community and the force multipliers. He is also urging the people in Western Visayas, especially those who doubt his capacity, to support him because the problem of illegal drugs is everyone’s concern, he said.

Asked if there will be a reshuffling of PDEA personnel in the Region, Layese said he will study it, but admitted that it is not far-fetched, as there are personnel who should assume key positions.

He said his other priority is to address the problem of inadequacy of PDEA agents in Western Visayas.

The sudden swap of Layese and Ruiz was marred by controversy, but Layese said it was just a normal reshuffling, and they should abide with it.*APN

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