These are some of the Narcotic Detection Dogs (NDDs) of the K9 Unit of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7). | Photos from PDEA-7
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Does your eyes form into hearts and your voice turn high pitched whenever you see dogs? Do you like dogs too much that you are considering a career in dog keeping?
Maybe you should try sending your resume to the K9 Unit under the Special Enforcement Service (SES) of the Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency Unit and find out the gem that is more than the usual task of greyhound operations, anti-illegal buy-bust operations and seaports and airports interdictions that the dog handlers enjoy almost 24/7 with their Narcotic Detection Dogs (NDDs).
What it is like in the K9 unit
You may think that what the K9 handlers and the NDDs do is just roam around ports sniffing bags and often go out if there are drug busts — as what you often see on the news — but it is not just that.
It is also more of looking, smelling, feeding, bathing, exercising, health checkups and traveling with a four-legged animal that has become a family than a partner at work.
K9 Handler Anselmo Laguna Jr., who has been in the K9 Unit for four years described his work life as a service to the public and to the dog he was assigned to.
“Yung handler yung resposible sa halos lahat (The handler is responsible on everything [involvong the dog]),” said Laguna.
The work setup for the K9 team may also seem fun as the handlers are able to always do things together with their dogs, but it is actually part of the NDDs training that will let them remember the things they have learned during trainings.
PDEA Airport Interdiction Unit Chief Ivy Oledan, said that although the NDDs undergo about six months of training with their handlers before getting deployed around the region, they would still need refresher from time to time including familiarization in the area they would be assigned to.
“Usually the dogs provided from a service provider already have the basic skill, then they undergo training with their handlers but they also need refreshers from time to time,” said Oledan in Cebuano.
As of the moment the PDEA-7 have 11 NDDS.
K9 Unit’s role in drug drive
The K9 Unit have been tasked in daily interdictions in the seaports and airports in Cebu. Whenever there are greyhound operations, they coordinate with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) or if there are mass gathering events, they are usually contacted by the organizing team to provide for security.
According to Oledan, the existence of the K9 Unit was to support the PDEA on their campaign against anti-illegal drugs.
Oledan said that the presence alone of the NDDs in the ports affect how persons, who had been carrying contraband, act whenever they see that there were K9 team in the area.
“It would cause people nga naay dala nga dangerous drugs to act suspiciously which (would) led to (the) arrest of these persons,” said Olden.
One of the most memorable successful arrests which the K9 team had been of most help was back in 2016 said Olden.
She said it was a Chinese national, who came from China and who turned out to be carrying illegal drugs in his baggage.
Recently, the Facebook page of PDEA-7 (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas) have contained posts introducing the NDDs owned by the K9 Unit.
PDEA-7 Spokesperson Leia Albiar said that the K9 team would play an important role in cutting the supply of illegal drugs being transported to other areas as the NDDs would be able to intercept contraband stored in baggage and cargoes.
“Drug personalities are taking advantage of our airports, seaports, and other transhipment points to traffic illegal drugs in the region, so we are really intensifying our interdiction efforts in these areas,” said Albiar.
How to qualify in the team
If you are a certified dog lover, you are already 50 percent qualified to become a member of the K9 unit, but, of course, there are other requirements such as previous work experience, physical fitness and all. But being naturally fond with dogs is on top of the requirement of the unit as you would be working almost 24/7 with the NDDs.
According to IO II (Investigation Officer II) Joemar Polinar, who has been in the unit for almost 10 years, the sense of fulfilment hits different people serving in the K9 unit especially when the NDD assigned to you was part of a successful anti-illegal drug operations.
For K9 Handler Antonio Pilapil, the word “stress” was not often felt in their team knowing that they would never be alone when they carry out their tasks.
He said that since they also love what they do, the work would not seem like it was the actual work./dbs