PNP, PDEA sign unified rules on drug ops

The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Friday inked a joint memorandum circular containing the unified guidelines that should be imposed during anti-illegal drugs operations.

The agencies' heads, PNP chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar and PDEA chief Director General Wilkins Villanueva, signed the memorandum during a ceremony at the PNP Multi-Purpose Center in Camp Crame.

Villanueva said the document that was signed is "one of the most important documents in the history of Philippine drug enforcement."

"For more than 19 years, ngayon lang talaga napagusapan ng both Philippine National Police at PDEA ang bagay tungkol sa coordination," Villanueva said during a press briefing.

(It is only now that PNP and PDEA talked about coordination.)

"What happened to Commonwealth is a time bomb that will likely to happen dahil nga hindi napagusapan for more than 19 years ang tama at specific na procedure on coordination between both parties," he added.

(What happened to Commonwealth is a time bomb that will likely to happen because there is no proper coordination for more than 19 years between both parties.)

The uniformed guidelines were created following the fatal shootout between PNP and PDEA operatives at a mall along Commonwealth, Quezon City on February 24 which claimed the lives of five people, including two PDEA agents, two police officers and an informant.

An almost misencounter also happened in Fairview last May.

Prevent misencounters

Eleazar said the guidelines were created to prevent miscoordination during operations.

"Ang main purpose is huwag nang maulit 'yung nagkaroon ng misencounter Basically, we have operational guidelines. May mga specific but hindi naman namin puwedeng maireveal sa inyo," Eleazar said.

(The main purpose is to prevent another misencounter. Basically, we have operational guidelines but we cannot provide the specifics.)

He said there are a lot of police units within the PNP, however, they can only operate in anti-drug operations if there is the presence of drug enforcement units.

"One station, one operation... hindi puwedeng magsabay-sabay, lalo na with other agencies," Eleazar said.

(One station, one operation... They cannot do the same operation alongside with other agencies.)

"In that specific area identified by the PDEA and PNP, only one unit must conduct [an] operation whether it's a police unit or PDEA at kung sakali man maraming sabay-sabay, nag-apply diyan so nasa PDEA na kung sino ang aprubahan nila," he added.

(If ever more than one unit applied to conduct operations in a specific area, it is up to the PDEA on which unit it will allow to operate.)

The PNP chief earlier warned that police officers and anti-drug agents who fail to comply with the guidelines would be sanctioned.

The PNP and PDEA have their own disciplinary mechanisms, Eleazar said. He added that the sanction for police violators could range from suspension to dismissal from service. — RSJ, GMA News