Agencies vow to block drugs at Iloilo airport

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By Jennifer P. Rendon

Different government agencies pledged anew to prohibit the entry and exit of illegal drugs at the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo.

The renewed commitment followed the signing of a revised memorandum of agreement among members of the Western Visayas Airport Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group on Oct. 14 at the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Building of the Iloilo International Airport.

Signatories included representatives from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Department of Justice, Philippine National Police Aviation Security Unit, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration, National Bureau of Investigation, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Coast Guard District–Western Visayas, Office for Transportation Security and the local government of Cabatuan.

PDEA-6 public information officer Ma. Graziella Tanaleon said there was an existing airport interdiction MOA signed in June 2021.

She noted the Coast Guard District–Western Visayas and the Cabatuan local government were not part of that agreement.

With the revised MOA, Tanaleon said it would strengthen the partnership among the agencies to enhance airport security and drug interdiction efforts in Western Visayas.

The agreement also specified the functions and responsibilities of each agency.

“It was more detained to boost coordination among our partner agencies,” she said.

Officials said the MOA applies only to the Iloilo International Airport.

Tanaleon said there would be a separate MOA for other airport locations in Western Visayas.

While there are no reports of groups or syndicates using the airport as a transshipment point, Tanaleon said it pays to be proactive.

“The airport is a vital gateway because of the presence of international flights,” she said.

“That’s why, we must be able to prevent and control the entry and exit of dangerous drugs and chemical precursors,” she added.

Tanaleon said unscrupulous individuals might try to exploit the airport, but the unified front of local and national agencies would help intercept drugs and dismantle trafficking networks.

Airport drug interdiction task groups typically coordinate screening, intelligence sharing and law enforcement operations in line with national anti-drug and aviation security policies.