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BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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February 1, 2018
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Iloilo seaports need 24-hour security
ILOILO City – More dogs trained to detect illegal drugs are needed in various seaports, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) following the confiscation of P18-million worth of shabu in Dumangas, Iloilo.
According to PCG Iloilo station chief Lieutenant Commander Ramil Palabrica, for this city and Iloilo province his agency needs “at least 10 sniffing dogs.”
“These dogs will check the baggage of every passenger,” said Palabrica.
PCG Iloilo currently has six trained dogs.
PCG Iloilo, however, aims for a 24-hour security check at each seaport.
“One dog couldn’t possibly render duty round-the-clock. Makapoy ‘na sa ido, that’s why we need more sniffing dogs,” said Palabrica.
The Negros-bound couple arrested on Jan. 28, Alberto Pinaga and Maebelle Belmonte, admitted to have twice successfully transported shabu from Iloilo to Negros Occidental through the Port of Dumangas in December last year and early this year.
They had intended to take a roll on, roll off vessel at the port on Sunday.
In 2016, the local government of Dumangas deployed five drug-sniffing Belgian Malinois dogs at the port. Three were trained to detect explosives while the two others specialized in illegal drugs.
It was unclear as of this writing if these dogs were still at the Dumangas port.
Palabrica said other government agencies with the means to procure dogs could help the coastguard.
In February 2013 a suspected drug pusher from Bacolod City was arrested at the roll on, roll off port in Dumangas.
Jerwin Wong, 25, of Doña Juliana Heights, Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City was busted by joint operatives of the Dumangas police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. Recovered from him was a kilo of marijuana worth P10,000.
According to the Dumangas police, Wong had been frequenting Iloilo via the Dumangas port.
During interrogation, Wong admitted selling marijuana for more than two years already and that he got supplies from Iloilo.
He, however, refused to name his contact person in Iloilo province.
In Nov. 25, 2015, the local government of Dumangas launched Task Force Puerto, an inter-agency security group tasked to tighten the security at the municipality’s seaport.
A brainchild of then Dumangas mayor Rolando Distura, Task Force Puerto was made up of the following government agencies:
* Dumangas police station
* Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency
* Regional Maritime Office 6
* Highway Patrol Group
* Land Transportation Office
* Philippine Coast Guard
* Bureau of Customs
* Criminal Investigation and Detection Group
* Department of Interior and Local Government
* Department of Environment and Natural Resources
* Department of Agriculture
* Department of Labor and Employment./PN
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