PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the relief of Aaron Aquino as Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general and appointed Wilkins Villanueva as the new head.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Wednesday, May 27, that Aquino has been appointed as president and chief executive officer of Clark International Airport Corporation.
Villanueva, head of PDEA Northern Mindanao prior to this new assignment, said in a radio interview Wednesday that he will formulate new protocols for the conduct of anti-illegal drugs operations to ensure the safety of PDEA agents in the time of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
“Malaking challenge sa amin kasi magkakaroon kami ng bagong protocol on how to conduct anti-drug operations. I am implementing already parang nag-devise ako ng protocol so that ang unang ico-consider kasi namin ang buhay ng mga ahente namin,” he said.
“First is target identification kami, doon muna kami pupunta sa mga targets na walang Covid kasi marami naman targets eh. Unahin muna namin ‘yung walang Covid meron kaming exercise siguro diyan, training na kung saan halimbawa pag-aresto hindi kami mag face to face sa tao kasi hindi ba droplets ang doon nakukuha. So likod likod or what. So magkakaron kami ng training sa lahat ng ahente,” he added.
He said he will be putting “utmost importance” on his men. PDEA has at least 2,000 personnel, half of whom serve as administrative support.
His letter of appointment was signed by the President on May 22.
In a Facebook post, Villanueva confirmed his assignment and thanked Duterte as well as Senators Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa for their support.
“After almost 2 decades of serving our country on the field of drug law enforcement through different capacities and positions both with PNP Narcotics Group and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, I finally achieved what I was aiming for... director general of PDEA,” he stated.
“My utmost gratitude to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for giving me his trust and confidence to lead our country's war on drugs. I will never fail you Mr. President!... Many thanks to Senator Bong Go and Ronald dela Rosa for your encouragement and support... it really matters a lot,” he added.
Villanueva served as PDEA National Capital Region chief before he was assigned to Mindanao. He served as head of PDEA in Northern Mindanao in 2015-2016 and 2018-2020.
He was among the staunch supporters of Duterte especially on the war on illegal drugs.
Aquino, for his part, thanked the President for giving him the chance to serve the public through PDEA for over two years.
“I sincerely thank President Rodrigo Duterte for his trust and confidence and for giving me the opportunity to serve our people and his administration,” Aquino said in a statement.
“I also thank the men and women of PDEA for their support to my leadership and dedication to the agency,” he added.
Aquino was under fire for allegedly failing to implement an order against the 13 alleged “ninja cops” involved in an irregular operation in November 2013 in Lakeshore View in Pampanga. (SunStar Philippines with a report from Alwen Saliring of SunStar Cagayan de Oro)