FOLLOWING the recent incident between the police and the PDEA agents in Quezon City, Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella urged the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 to maintain their inter-agency cooperation “to ensure well-coordinated anti-drug operations in Cebu City.”

“We don’t want the recent ‘misencounter’ between the police and PDEA agents in Quezon City to happen in our city. I trust that our CCPO and PDEA 7 have maintained proper coordination aron pagseguronsa luwas ug malinawon nga mga operasyon batok sa illegal nga drugas dinhi sa atong siyudad,” said Labella in a post on his Facebook page published on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Anti-drug operatives of the Quezon City Police District and PDEA got involved in a gunfight in Quezon City on Feb. 24, 2021, which left four dead and four wounded. Both parties claimed they were conducting a legitimate anti-drug operation.

Labella sent separate letters to CCPO Director PCol. Josefino Ligan and PDEA 7 Director Levi Ortiz on Monday, March 1, formalizing his request for both offices to maintain proper coordination “to achieve more milestones in the fight against illegal drugs, in the safest and most peaceful way possible.”

The mayor said that the incident in Quezon City should be a reminder of the importance of inter-agency coordination in all operations.

The letters also requested both offices a copy of their reports after every anti-drug operation. (NRC)