Top E. Visayas cop calls for strengthening of seaports security

PALO, Leyte, July 28 -- The top official of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Eastern Visayas on Friday said illegal drug supply could still enter the region through its various seaports as it is surrounded by waters. 

“We have a long shorelines, but we have talked it out with the Visayas Cluster of the Regional Peace and Order Council how to strengthen security measures at the seaports and pre-empt the entry of these illegal drugs into Eastern Visayas,” PNP regional director Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar said in an interview. 

As a police initiative, the PNP in the region is also strengthening its village intelligence network considered as the first line of defense against the proliferation of prohibited drugs in the community.

 Its members, primarily consist of village officials and village sectoral representatives having first- hand information about the members of the community. 

Earlier, the PNP in Eastern Visayas reported a huge drop of crimes since the President launched a war against illegal drugs when he assumed office middle of last year. 

Beltejar attributed the decline to the all-out offensive against illegal drugs in the past 12 months.

For several years, the region’s illegal drugs trade was primarily controlled by the Espinosa group. 

Meanwhile, Beltejar confirmed the immediate neutralization of new groups of illegal drug operators during the start of President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal drug war last year. 

PNP Regional Direct Chief Superintendent Elmer Beltejar said the groups, breakaway from the high-value target Espinosa drug group, were starting to operate in Albuera and Kananga towns. 

However, the new groups were immediately “nipped in the bud” before their operations could start to flourish, Beltejar said. 

Arrests have been made on several of these identified illegal drug personalities, while others died during police operations. 

“These emerging groups were not as high value a target as that of the Espinosa group of Albuera town, and other targets from Northern Samar and Samar provinces which have already been neutralized,” Beltejar said. (Ahlette C. Reyes/PNA)