Friday, March 3, 2017

Army strike forces to deploy vs drugs

From the Mindanao Times (Mar 3): Army strike forces to deploy vs drugs

THE MILITARY is ready to provide strike forces in the fight against illegal drugs.

“A platoon-size strike force (will) be made available to the regional offices of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as the need arises,” said Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año.

On Tuesday, the AFP and PDEA signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA), forging cooperation in anti-drug operations in the country.

Año and PDEA Director General Isidro Lapeña signed the agreement employing the AFP in anti-illegal drug operations.

Under the agreement, the PDEA will be the force employer, while the AFP will be the force provider in the anti-illegal drug campaign.

Ano told TIMES that the AFP will support the PDEA through the newly created AFP Task Force Noah led by Brig. Gen. Tabo.
 
“The PDEA shall be the lead agency in all the operations and we shall provide intelligence targeting higher level of drug syndicates and in cases where drug syndicates have large private armed groups,” he said.

Brig. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, the commander of Join Task Force Haribon, said there is no specific guideline on the measure yet but he vowed to support it.
 
On Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he would again use the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the fight against illegal drugs amid reports that drug dealers are back on the streets.

Meanwhile, the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) has yet to receive any directive from the higher officials pertaining to the possible resumption of the PNP’s anti-illegal drugs campaign, Oplan Tokhang.

But DCPO spokesperson, Sr. Insp. Catherine Dela Rey, told TIMES that the DCPO is ready if the Oplan Tokhang would resume.
 

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