TUPI, SOUTH COTABATO — Authorities from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) destroyed more than 11,000 fully grown marijuana plants during a large-scale eradication operation in a remote area of Barangay Miasong, Tupi, South Cotabato, on Saturday morning, October 19, 2025.
The joint operation, launched around 10:00 a.m. in Sitio Benigno Aquino—a mountainous site located along the disputed tri-boundary of Columbio, Tupi, and Tampakan—resulted in the uprooting of approximately 11,502 marijuana plants valued at ₱2.3 million.
According to PDEA Regional Office XII, the bulk of the confiscated plants were immediately burned at the site to prevent redistribution, while two uprooted specimens were retained for forensic and laboratory analysis.
The operation was led by the PDEA Sultan Kudarat Provincial Office in coordination with the PDEA South Cotabato Provincial Office, PDEA RO XII Regional Special Enforcement Team (RSET), PNP 1205th and 1201st Regional Mobile Force Battalions (RMFB-12), and the Tupi Municipal Police Station.
Authorities identified a suspect known only by the alias “Jan Cris,” who remains at large. A manhunt is ongoing for his arrest and possible prosecution for violating Section 16, Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
PDEA Region XII stressed that the successful eradication highlights its intensified campaign against illegal drug cultivation and trafficking in the region, particularly in remote upland areas that drug cultivators exploit for concealment.
“This operation sends a strong message that illegal drug cultivation will not be tolerated in any part of Region XII,” a PDEA official said, emphasizing their continued coordination with local law enforcement to dismantle all drug production activities in the region.