I’M referring to a good old friend, retired Police Major General Gilbert Cruz of Philippine National Police Academy ‘Tagapagtanggol” Class of 1986 who is now literally back fighting crime, him being named by President Bongbong Marcos as Executive Director of the reinvigorated Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission last January.

A friend since his much younger days, Cruz used to be a permanent member of the Dangerous Drugs Board with the rank of Undersecretary, the post given to him by former President Rodrigo Duterte in November 2020. It only means one thing: a former and a sitting Commander-in-Chief really believe in the talent of Cruz. With that, I also hope and pray that the talent of many highly-competent retired police officials with good service reputation will also be tapped by the present administration.

Cruz was a former Police Regional Office 8 director in Eastern Visayas from August 2017 to May 2018 and went on to head the PRO13 in Caraga region from September 2018 to September 2019.

He went on to become the director of the PNP Directorate for Integrated Police Operations-Northern Luzon where he got his 2nd-star.

In November 2020, he retired as director of the PNPA where he instituted a number of measures to further help reform the premier source of future police generals in our country. I join many in welcoming the appointment of Cruz to the PAOCC knowing fully well that his experience as a police officer, leader and a manager will greatly help the Agency in carrying out its mandate.

I happened to cover the exploits of Cruz when he was still a young police major, particularly during his stint with the Manila Police District. Consider this: he is a ‘Hall of Famer’ when it comes to being one of the country’s outstanding policemen, one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in 1998, a Presidential Dangal ng Bayan Awardee in 1993, a Junior Police Officer of the Year in 1987 and a 3-time Outstanding PNPA Lakan Awardee.

He was also the director of the Laguna Police Provincial Office when it became the PNP’s Best Provincial Police Office in 2012. However, I could not forget the help he provided me when I became a victim of an ambush in San Juan on May 24, 1999.

On that day, six motorcycle-riding men attacked me while I was on my way to Camp Crame. Luckily, my instinct and training enabled me to fire back at my would-be assassins. Although I was shot in my left arm—my strong arm- I still managed to retaliate at the armed men hitting one of them who eventually died in the hospital.

Then the chief of the San Juan City Police Station, then Col. Gilbert Cruz led the investigation into the case and ensured my and my wife’s security. He also ordered the immediate release of my caliber .45 pistol-the weapon that protected me as well as my bullet-riddled car for immediate repair. The rest is history as they say.

Gilbert had the distinction of earning three spot promotions owing to his bravery, professionalism, competence and integrity as a police officer who helped smash countless organized kidnapping-for-ransom, drug trafficking and robbery-holdup gangs during his active days.

The proud native of Tondo, Manila is now back as a top official of the PAOCC which has tapped the full support of the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies in the country to effectively battle crime, terror and corruption in the country.

Now under Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, a former Chief Justice who is now known as the ‘Little President, the PAOCC Executive Director has underscored their need to have the support of all of the country’s law enforcement agencies as part of their ‘whole-of-government’ approach to carry out their mandate.

For the information of everybody, the PAOCC is the main agency tasked to prepare and implement an anti-crime and anti-graft and corruption action plan and program of the government.

With the support of the Departments of Justice and Interior and Local Government respectively headed by Secretaries Boying Remulla and Benhur Abalos, the PNP headed by General Jun Azurin and the 40 agencies comprising the National Law Enforcement Coordinating Council, the PAOCC is also tasked to adopt measures to ensure an effective and efficient anti-crime drive, as well as conduct intelligence and counter-intelligence operations against individuals involved in criminal activities.

Early morning last Sunday, I learned that the PAOCC orchestrated a major counter-terror operation in Sulu which saw agents of the PNP Special Action Force, the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Sulu Police Provincial Office going after a group of men wanted for involvement in organized crime activities including kidnapping and murder in the province.

The operation left seven of the suspects dead, another friend, PNP-CIDG director, Brigadier Gen. Bong Caramat told me. I learned that the suspects were wanted for killing former Sulu Police Provincial Office director, Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim in an ambush in Barangay Bato Ugis in Maimbung, Sulu on May 7, 2009. In memory of the slain police official, the Sulu Police Provincial Office headquarters has been renamed Camp Julasirim Kasim.

The gunfight took place at the boundary of Barangay Labah in Maimbung, Sulu and Bgy. Kapuk Punggol in Parang municipality 1:21 a.m. Sunday and ended around 2 in the morning. The PAOCC said that the encounter erupted as members of the CIDG Sulu Provincial Field Unit, the PNP-SAF’s 7th Special Action Battalion, the Sulu Police Provincial Office and the Maimbung Municipal Police Station went to the area to serve a warrant of arrest issued by a local court against two of the suspects identified as brothers Juko and Alganer Dawadil Dahim.

It was obvious that the suspects won’t allow themselves to be captured without giving a fight. Thus, they opened fire at the approaching lawmen and shot one SAF commando, PNP-SAF director, Maj. Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo said. Officers exchanged fire with the gunmen for nearly 30 minutes and later secured the area while giving first-aid to the wounded.

The wounded men were taken to the Sulu Provincial Hospital in Asturias, Jolo, Sulu where an attending physician declared them dead upon arrival. Two other civilians were also wounded during the firefight and are still undergoing treatment along with the SAF trooper as of press time.

The slain suspects including Juko Dahim who is wanted for robbery and Norhan Pasi who is facing a murder case yielded a cache of high-powered weapons and ammunition including five M-16 automatic rifles, a grenade launcher, three M-14 rifles, a cal. .45 pistol and 20 assorted magazines. The magazines actually contained 401 rounds of live cal. 5.56 ammunition, 120 rounds of cal. 7.62 ammunition, 19 rounds of 40mm grenade launcher ammunition and assorted gun accessories.

Two other suspects were arrested during the operation while several are still being hunted. The suspects were believed to be members/supporters of the late Abu Sayyaf leader Majan/Mjar Sahidjuan alias ‘Apoh Mike’ who gained notoriety for his terrorist activities in the municipalities of Indanan, Parang and Maimbung.

The PAOCC which funded last Sunday’s operation said that apart from being involved in kidnapping-for-ransom and illegal drug trafficking activities, the group of Juko Dahim is also wanted for killing innocent civilians and attacking government troopers in Sulu.