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More ‘Intelligence-Driven’ operations needed in war vs drugs

September 15, 2021 Alfred P. Dalizon 433 views

Alfred DalizonI’M saying this in the wake of a series of successful anti-narcotics operations made by the Philippine National Police in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and other law enforcement units in the country this month.

Those operations also proved that the ‘whole-of-government approach’ in fighting drugs and terror is what the country needs. No more solo operations aimed at getting the sole credit at the expense of others since our law enforcement agencies are only going after Enemies of the State here.

It’s good to hear that the PNP headed by General Gilor Eleazar and the PDEA headed by Director General Wilkins Villanueva have been fully partnering in their war on drugs and are getting full cooperation from other agencies like the Armed Forces, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the Bureau of Customs.

This was proven anew in the wake of the seizure of more than P5.5 billion worth of shabu last week and the neutralization of a major drug trafficking ring being run by a group of rogue Chinese nationals, four of them now dead after shooting it out with our agents.

Actually, the 809 kilograms of high-grade shabu –or 809,000 grams–confiscated during those operations was the biggest drug haul made by the Duterte government so far this year and proved that despite the pandemic, our anti-narcotics agents are really not sleeping on their job.

What is also very clear here is that if those drugs were not seized, they could have been distributed in Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Luzon regions and as far as Visayas and Mindanao where they would be repackaged and sold in sachets like the ordinary ‘vetsin and paminta’ in our markets and ‘sari-sari stores.

Thus, kudos goes to the units involved in those operations namely the PDEA chaired by Villanueva and his deputy director for operations, my friend, retired Gen. Greg Pimentel, PNP chief Gen. Eleazar, the PNP Drug Enforcement Unit headed by Brigadier Gen. Remus Medina, the National Capital Region Police Office under Major Gen. Vic Danao, the Police Regional Office 4-A headed by Brig. Gen. Ely Cruz, the PNP Special Action Force under Maj. Gen. Pipoy Natividad, the Police Regional Office 3 led by Brig. Gen. Val de Leon and the Zambales Police Provincial Office headed by Colonel Romano Cardiño.

I would also like to mention the NICA headed by a friend, retired Police Gen. Alex Paul Monteagudo, the Joint Task Force Noah of the AFP under Gen. Jose Faustino Jr. , the ISAFP headed by Gen. Jose Niembra and the BoC headed by retired Gen. Rey Guerrero.

Officers and men of these law enforcement agencies have shown why strong coordination and good working relationship will really strengthen the government’s fighting chance to finally end the threat of the illegal drugs in the country.

I learned from Villanueva that last week’s series of successful operations were triggered by the PDEA Case Operational Plan :Whisperer’ which is being supervised by Pimentel with the support of the PDEA Intelligence and Investigation Service headed by Director Adrian Alvariño.

It’s very clear that those operations will have a ‘very big impact’ on the illegal drug distribution system in the country where drug lords and their ilk are apparently thinking that the pandemic have disrupted ongoing government operations against them. Obviously, they are wrong, very wrong.

For that, we should give a big credit to the PDEA, the country’s lead anti-narcotics agency and the other agencies led by the PNP for seeing to it that the ‘whole-of-government approach’ in getting foreign drug syndicates would be fully exercised.

I could not imagine the nightmare we would have been experiencing had the Chinese-run syndicate managed to freely distribute those drugs. Had they managed to succeed, I think it would have repercussions in the unprecedented 64 percent crime reduction in the country over the past five years of the Duterte administration as Gen. Eleazar had said.

GOOD LUCK TO THESE NEW PNP DIRECTORS

On a personal note, I would like to congratulate my friends who have been named to new key PNP positions in the latest round of reshuffle in the force ordered by Gen. Eleazar with the retirement today of his mistah from PMA ‘Hinirang’ Class of 1987, Major Gen. Alfred Corpus of the PNP Directorate for Operations.

The PNP chief named Maj. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia of PMA ‘Makatao’ Class of 1989 as the new PNP Director for Operations. As PNP Director for Operations, Sermonia will be commanding the PNP directorial staff which exercises the command, the control, the direction, the coordination and the supervision of all activities on PNP operations such as deployment and employment of personnel.

The PNP-DO at present is busy preparing all strategic programs aimed at ensuring a peaceful, credible and fair 2022 presidential and national elections while supervising continuing police efforts against criminality and terrorism.

Sermonia, the erstwhile PNP Director for Police-Community Relations was replaced by his classmate from PMA Class 1989, Maj. Gen. Bart Bustamante, a former Police Regional Office 5 director in Bicol region.

On the other hand, Brigadier Gen. Ato Bisnar, the erstwhile PNP Headquarters Support Service director took over as the new PNP Director for Human Resource and Doctrine Development vice Bustamante.

As the training arm of the PNP, the DHRDD is tasked to help every PNP personnel pursue a very respectable career by supervising the operations of the PNP Training Service, the National Police Training Institute and the PNP Academy.

Bisnar, a member of PMA ‘Bigkis Lahi’ Class of 1990 will get his 2nd-star with his new position. He will be replaced as PNP-HSS director, otherwise known as the Camp Crame commander by Brig. Gen. Harold B. Tuzon, a member of PNP Academy Class 1990 who used to be the Secretary to the PNP Directorial Staff.

As new Camp Crame commander, Tuzon will be in-charge of the full implementation of Gen. Eleazar’s Integrated Cleanliness Program inside the PNP national headquarters which aimed to instill discipline among all PNP personnel and guests and other visitors inside and outside different offices in the camp.

All that Tuzon needs to do right now is to just ensure that Bisnar’s programs and policies will be fully and strictly implemented to the hilt. They include the strict parking’ rules, the enforcement of the minimum health protocols, curfew hours and the prohibition on the entry of unkempt police and civilian vehicles. As they always say, the Camp Commander is the ‘Boss’ taking orders from the PNP chief who is known for his intensified cleanliness policy.

Designated as new PNP-SDS was my friend way back from the early 90s in the CIDG, Colonel Joaquin ‘Jack,’ Alva, a lawyer-member of PNPA Class 1992 who used to be the Deputy Director of the PNP Human Rights Affairs Office. Congratulations and good luck to all.

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