ILOILO – With this province being an ideal transshipment point for illegal drugs, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. is eyeing the revival of Task Force Puerto at the seaport in Dumangas town in the 4th District to ensure that no contraband gets through.
“We want to develop that, but for that project, mapatudlo anay kita. Let us go back to that with the guidance of Provincial Board member Rolando Distura,” said Defensor.
Task Force Puerto was the brainchild of then-Dumangas mayor and now 4th District Board Member Distura, together with former Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. and former Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) director Senior Superintendent Cornelio Salinas.
The interagency taskforce was launched on Nov. 25, 2015.
According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 6, as early as 2014 drug traffickers found roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ships at the Dumangas port convenient for transporting illegal drugs.
RoRo ships are sea vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo such as cars, trucks and buses driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle.
But the RoRo has not only made the transport of goods easier; those into illegal drugs were also taking advantage of this transport system, PDEA added.
That is why Defensor plans to have the Provincial Civil Defense Office, headed by Salinas with the partnership of the local government unit of Dumangas, oversee Task Force Puerto.
Salinas was also recently appointed as the new head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).
“So that is why we have here a department head who came from the PNP (Philippine National Police) and with existing good relations with the PNP and the Philippine Army,” the governor added.
Defensor last week mentioned the provincial government is amenable to assisting the needs of IPPO for effective security at Dumangas port in the town’s Barangay Sapao, including providing drug-sniffing dogs. Although admittedly, the governor said addressing this is no easy task.
“I already called up the PNP. Siling ko, if we need something like that, you tell me para mapreparahan naton kay indi man sia basta-basta. It’s not something you can just acquire so we will develop that together with our new PDRRMO head,” Defensor added.
This move by the provincial government to focus on interception and monitoring of ports came after the confirmation from the IPPO that no illegal drug laboratories exist in Iloilo.
Last week, Defensor said the illegal drug situation in the province is alarming, noting that drug personalities persist and confiscations involve large volumes worth millions of pesos.
“Alarming is subjective; the presence of drugs is always concerning. But how significant is it? It’s not as significant as one might think, given our recent large-volume captures… The drug problem is always alarming,” Defensor explained to the media.
The governor recently met with IPPO director Colonel Ronaldo Palomo to discuss enhancing port entry monitoring in the province, especially at the Dumangas port.
Palomo assured Defensor that no illegal drug laboratories exist in Iloilo; drugs come from outside the province, necessitating stronger port security.
“We’re ready to bolster our operatives at the port. As the drugs come from Negros, we need K9 sniffing dogs because X-rays aren’t sufficient for all vehicles,” Defensor said.
He emphasized, “We’ll prevent drug entry; there’s no laboratory here in Iloilo, so our focus is on interception.”
The provincial government is also considering increasing manpower at the Dumangas port.
However, Defensor acknowledged that unlike the PNP and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), provincial government employees lack training in port security.
When operational, the Task Force Puerto will be made up of the following: Dumangas police station, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Regional Maritime Office 6, Highway Patrol Group, Land Transportation Office, PCG, Bureau of Customs, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Labor and Employment./PN
