Ermita to house soldiers for anti-crime, drug drive

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Councilor Dave Tumulak meet with members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the police to plan out activities of Task Force Cebu to help and maintain peace and order in the City.

Soldiers will be deployed to Barangay Ermita to help fight criminality and illegal drugs in tandem with the police.

From now on, personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will be helping monitor the crime situation in Cebu City, and their first order of business is to focus on Barangay Ermita.

At least eight soldiers will live in Ermita. They will support personnel from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-7), according to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña in a dyAB radio report.

“We do not have enough policemen, so we are putting soldiers. They will start next week, maybe. They will live there (in Ermita). There will be eight and PDEA will assign two people with them,” the mayor said.

Representatives from the AFP and the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) met with Osmeña and Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak yesterday morning.

According to Tumulak, who is the deputy mayor on police matters, the meeting was for the mayor to give his “final operational instructions” to the AFP augmentation.

Platoon

The Central Command assigned an entire platoon of 88 personnel to Cebu City following an earlier request for the AFP to augment the CCPO to help maintain peace and order in the city.

Col. Noel Baluyan said it is part of the AFP mandate to help curb criminality in local government units including the illegal drugs trade. He said that during their meeting, they were instructed by the mayor to focus on the barangay with some level of criminality.

“So, the AFP will go there with the PNP. We will have joint operations together with the PDEA. I understand there are also drug problems there (Ermita). (We want) to help out in easing the problem, especially in the anti-criminality issues,” he told reporters.

He said that while they are in Ermita, they will also help the community through civil-military operations.

Tumulak said, “This is part of the mayor’s strategy for law enforcement to be near the barangays in order to give assurance to the public that there is law enforcement. This is a big help for the public so they can see assurance for their community directly from the military and police.”

The rest of the platoon will be spread in different areas of public convergence like terminals, ports, major roads and other barangays.

Community Relations

CCPO Deputy director for administration Supt. Artemio Ricabo said that aside from security and law enforcement, the military and police will also help the community with their needs.

“Basic needs like problems in the community including street lights. Secondly, it is also a deterrent. Ermita is known for illegal activities there. The mayor wants presence of the police together with the AFP,” he said.

Ricabo said he hopes people in the community will not get worried over the presence of the military. He said they also want to befriend the community.

City Cafgu

Meanwhile, Tumulak said the city plans to hire 100 people and create a special citizen armed force geographical unit (CAFGU) auxiliary force for Cebu City, similar to those in the cities of General Santos, Davao and Zamboanga.

These men, aged 18 to 40 years old, should be from Cebu City. They will be hired by the city and will undergo a 45-day military training
“The purpose of this is to strengthen the visibility of our armed forces at the same time to support our police. This is also to strengthen community relations,” he added.

He said they are currently preparing the paperwork but added that Osmeña already approved the plan.

Drug-free stickers

Meanwhile, Police Regional Director, Chief Supt. Noli Taliño welcomed the plan of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to plaster “drug-free home” stickers on houses that are free of illegal drugs.

“Maganda ang objective ng DILG (DILG’s objective is good),” he said.

But so far, he said, they have not received any directive yet on how the program will be implemented.

Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno said this is a non-violent approach in the campaign against illegal drugs.

He said official “drug-free home” stickers will be plastered on houses that are certified by the local Peace and Order Council as free from drugs.

Those living in houses that are not yet certified as drug-free, he said, would be persuaded by the other families and the council to stop using drugs so that their homes may also qualify to receive the sticker.

He wants to call the new campaign “Oplan Hangyo.”

Lapu-Lapu City

In Lapu-Lapu City, the Department of Education (DepEd) is currently doing a series of anti-drug symposia in the different public high schools.

We hope this would help the youth and would become an effective tool in protecting them from the effects and influence of illegal drugs,” said DepEd Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Marilyn Andales.

Organizers have invited speakers from religious groups and former drug addicts to share their life stories and policemen to talk about laws governing illegal drugs.