Agents of the Philippine Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) inspect luggages arriving and departing from Cebu City ports as part of their interdiction efforts in ports and terminals./ FILE PHOTO COURTESY OF PDEA RO VII Facebook page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A task force that will focus on intercepting the entry of illegal drugs in Central Visayas will be formed soon.
Police Brigadier General Roderick Augustus Alba, the director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), proposed this plan during their Peace and Order Council with Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and other law enforcement agencies last Monday, November 14, 2022.
Alba said that Garcia will serve as the drug czar who will oversee the task group that will be headed by the director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7).
Members of the group will include personnel from the PRO-7, Armed Forces of the Philippines, PDEA-7, Bureau of Immigration, and other law enforcers who are set to sign a Memorandum of Agreement soon.
This task group will be monitoring the sea ports and the airports used as transshipment areas. This will be done in coordination with the local executive chiefs, among others.
Police Colonel Rommel Ochave, director of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO), said in an interview that the creation of this task group does not mean that illegal drugs is severely rampant.
“Ang pag buo nito na task force is once and for all i-address yung pagpasok ng droga sa Cebu kase wala ngang manufacturing dito, para maging drug cleared talaga ang Cebu. ‘Yun yung pinaka objective natin,” Ochave said.
Ochave admitted that the law enforcement agencies face challenges in their fight against illegal drugs. One problem is the insufficient number of sniffing dogs used to detect illegal drugs.
However, he said that some local chief executives promised to buy dogs that will be trained by the Philippine Coast Guard.
Ochave is optimistic that this task group will be effected as village watchers are also directed to take charge in their respective coastlines.
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