ILOILO – Following plans to revive Task Force Puerto in Dumangas town, which highlighted the need for more drug- and explosives-sniffing dogs, many are now asking, “Where are the five Belgian Malinois purchased by the local government unit (LGU) of Dumangas?”
In a Panay News interview, 4th District Board member Rolando Distura confirmed that during his term as the local chief executive (LCE) of Dumangas in 2016, the LGU purchased five Belgian Malinois to aid Task Force Puerto in Dumangas port. Each puppy costs P100,000.
“Gin-train sila, ang tatlo eventually ang specialty was explosives and ang duha sa narcotics. They graduated with flying colors,” said Distura.
The five trained canines were managed by three members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and two Dumangas LGU job hires, who also trained to become handlers.
“Eventually, they worked together, and kaluy-an damo kami sang accomplishments during that time,” he said.
Just recently, during the committee hearing of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) with representatives from the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) on the illegal drug situation in the province, the need for sniffing dogs at Dumangas port was tackled. It is allegedly why illegal drugs from other areas enter with ease.
Even Distura disclosed that when traveling to Negros via roll-on/roll-off (roro), he rarely sees the sniffing dogs.
However, he took into consideration the old age of the five dogs initially employed.
“Maybe they are no longer efficient; kag dapat may bag-o na subong nga dogs; K9 kag trained gid,” Distura said.
The IPPO, during the committee hearing, said it would be better if the LGU bought at least one sniffing dog to be stationed at the roro port.
Panay News reached out to Vice Mayor Ronaldo Golez, who served as mayor after Distura. He said Task Force Puerto, especially the five sniffing dogs, were well-cared for.
“Ang istorya nga pagpungko ko ginpabay-an, sala ina. Binutig ina. Ang hambal ko lang nga gindugangan ko pa gani sang support dira, ginbutangan sang cages, ginbutangan sang mga tawo kag ara kita nagatindog, kag gin-budget-an sang daku para i-sustain ang aton ido. Ang amon ya operation sang port okay man ina, sige-sige ang operation 24/7,” Golez told Panay News.
But as to the current situation of the taskforce, Golez said it would be better to ask Mayor Braeden John Biron.
“Wala ko idea sina kon ano ang status kay it’s no longer part sang akon nga sakop kay legislative na ako subong,” he added.
Last week, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. disclosed his plan to revive Task Force Puerto, the brainchild of Distura, together with former Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. and former IPPO director Senior Superintendent Cornelio Salinas.
The interagency taskforce was launched on Nov. 25, 2015.
Defensor mentioned the provincial government is amenable to assisting the needs of IPPO for effective security at Dumangas port, 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.
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.
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
