Wednesday, October 03, 2007 Rule ‘hampered’ raids v. drugs
THE Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) has not conducted anti-drug operations for more than two months now, prompting its newly installed Acting Director Rodel Calungsod to call key officials to a meeting.
When asked, MCPO Investigation and Detective Bureau Management Chief Ramon Villar said that 90 percent of their men are assigned in various beats, leaving them short of operatives for anti-drug operations.
A police official who requested anonymity also said most police stations were confused about the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) directive last July.
The directive required one PDEA operative to go with lawmen during operations to make these legitimate.
Before
Last Sept. 10, the agency simplified the order after it met numerous complaints. It now requires the station to just submit a pre-operation report and coordinate with PDEA.
PDEA Operations Chief Levi Ortiz said the MCPO had two operations last September but did not submit a report to their office.
“They either forgot or failed to arrest the suspect,” Ortiz said.
Former MCPO acting chief Alexander Abadinas had expressed in a forum the impossibility of the first PDEA requirement because there were only three PDEA operatives then.
“Prior to the anti-drug operations, all units concerned should coordinate with PDEA, which, in turn, will provide personnel to exercise direct control and supervision of all planned anti-drug operations except inflagrante delicto cases,” PDEA official Jennifer Rosales said in a July 10 memorandum to all PNP commanders.
The House committee on dangerous drugs received numerous complaints about the PDEA guidelines.
Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south), a member of the committee, persuaded the agency to come up with a new memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the PNP.
New rules
The old MOA had expired and the police pulled out its men last July 4 from PDEA.
Last Sept. 10, PDEA came up with a new memorandum signed by PDEA Director Dionisio Santiago Sr. It stated that the requirement for an anti-drug operation is for police to just a fill up a pre-operation report form and another form for coordination.
Other law enforcement agencies had already conducted operations, but not Mandaue City.
Villar said they earlier received a directive from then PNP Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Silverio Alarcio Jr. assigning 90 percent of their men on field. Calungsod, for his part, said they will seek PRO 7’s help for more men to lead anti-drug operations.
Calungsod wants Insp. Gualberto Gabales, team leader of the Regional Anti-illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group, assigned in Mandaue.
He hopes the election ban will not hamper the officer’s immediate transfer.
Calungsod said he already asked his officials to identify drug personalities and drug-prone areas as their targets in the next few days. (OCP)
