THE fight will go on.

This is the vow of new Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group (PNP-DEG) director, Brigadier General Faro Antonio O. Olaguera as he maintained that their resolve to fight illegal drug trafficking and abuse will continue without any let-up.

The lawyer-member of PNP Academy (PNPA) “Tagapagbuklod” Class of 1989 was the erstwhile PNP Legal Service director before he replaced Domingo after the controversy that hit the unit in the wake of the involvement of some of its former officers and men in a major drug scandal uncovered by the PNP Special Investigation Task Group 990 after a five-month-long probe.

Outgoing PNP chief, General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. has declared that his major accomplishment during his eight-month tour of duty is that he was able to unmask the “termites” in the 227,000-strong organization which is destroying the force.

He also did not mince words in praising Domingo for what he has a during his stint at the PNP-DEG since August 8 last year.

“I’m really proud of what Brig. Gen. Domingo did. He tried his very best, siya ang nag-umpisa, siya ang bagong mukha ng ating laban sa droga,” GAzurin said.

The PNP chief has called on Olaguera to continue all the good programs that Domingo had started and to ensure a strict monitoring and supervision of all their anti-narcotics operations.

“Ang payo ko lang sa lahat ng kapulisan natin ay iwasang masangkot sa droga. Naumpisahan na natin ang laban sa droga. Let us not allow na yung kakaunting miyembro ng kapulisan ay magpatuloy na sumira sa ating organization. Yung ating organisasyon muna bago sa ating pansariling interes,” he said.

This week, 18 more wanted drug personalities were hauled to jail by agents of the PNP-DEG amid the unit’s continuing resolve to do its job, Olaguera reported.

Two of the suspects were arrested in separate buy-bust operations, the official said.

One of the two suspects was arrested after he sold ten grams of shabu worth P68,000 to an undercover officer of the PNP-DEG Special Operations Unit 13 in Butuan City past 6 p.m. Friday.

The suspect also yielded the buy-bust money topped by a marked P1,000 bill.

The 2nd suspect with the alias “Bindalen,” a 64-year-old “high-value individual” (HVI) in the Bicol region was arrested in an anti-narcotics operation in Guinobatan, Albay around 4 p.m. last Tuesday.

Confiscated from the possession of the suspect were a gram of the so-called “poor man’s cocaine” valued at P68,000 and the marked money, a weighing scale, and several drug paraphernalia.

Members of the PNP-DEG SOU 5 arrested the suspect with the support of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 5 Regional Intelligence Unit and Regional Drug Enforcement Unit and the Albay Provincial Police Office (PPO) under Brig. Gen. Westrimundo Obinque.

Both suspects are now facing a non-bailable case for sale and possession of prohibited drugs under Republic Act (RA) 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Olaguera said that the other suspects were all arrested in manhunt operations launched by his men in different parts of the country.

The 16 were all the subject of court orders for service of sentence and violation of RA 9165 issued by different courts nationwide, said the official who has ordered all PNP-DEG operating units nationwide to continue going after all wanted drug personalities in their jurisdiction.