Council finds ways to stem narco-traffic in WV ports

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Around 1,900 anti-illegal drug operations have been conducted in Western Visayas since January 2023 to date.

These resulted in the confiscation of more than P300 million worth of illegal drugs.

Despite the police’s aggressive anti-illegal drugs stance, illegal drugs, particularly shabu, continue to make their way into the region.

In the words of Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor, Western Visayas police chief, it was a bittersweet accomplishment on their part.

“It’s a two-edged sword. We have seized shabu with higher volume and we have made more arrests but it also signified na malaki din ang pumapasok,” he earlier said.

Villaflor said that the region’s police are doing everything they could to thwart the spread of illegal drugs.

“Pero nakakahuli lang kami pagdating sa lupa. hindi naman namin mandato ang mag bantay ng pier, mangharang o mag-inspection sa mga barko, inspection sa airport,” he said.

This is the reason why PRO-6 led the crafting of a resolution on behalf of other members of the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Council (RLECC).

RLECC-6 Resolution No. 1, Series of 2023 is entitled, “Resolution Enjoining all Entities Owning and Managing Seaports and Wharves to Strengthen the Security Through Installation and Maintenance of Operational X-ray Screening Machines/Devices and Conduct of Sustained Panelling of K-9 (narcotics sniffing dogs) and Deployment of Additional PCG and PPA Personnel to All Seaports and wharves, and the Conduct of Other Activities/Operations to be Aggressively and Sustainably Undertaken by RLECC-6 Member Agencies to Address the Proliferation of Illegal Drugs in Western Visayas.”

The resolution cited the need for the whole-of-government approach to address maritime security challenges in the Philippines in terms of transshipment of illegal drugs, particularly in Western Visayas.

It also tackled security measures to be implemented at seaports and public transportation terminals which remain a big challenge in denying the entry of illegal drugs as they serve as a common gateway along with the new norm of transaction and movement of illegal drugs in the region through the use of social media platforms and online payment applications.

The resolution also highlighted that “illegal drug trafficking and smuggling through Roll-On/Roll-Off (RORO) vessels and by the use of public/private transportation are the primary means of transporting large volumes of illegal drugs in the region.“

With the support of the public and other law-enforcement agencies, Villaflor believed that law enforcement agencies could make headway in the campaign against illegal drugs.

“Again, the fight on illegal drugs should be a battle that needs the support and cooperation of everybody,” he said.