By Aaron Recuenco
Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, the newly-installed Chief of the Directorial Staff of the Philippine National Police (PNP), assured on Sunday that he will continue to serve as the voice of Bureau of Corrections Director General Bantag in the national police leadership for all the assistance it would need in the massive reform programs at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP).
Newly-installed Chief of Directorial Staff of the PNP P/Maj. Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar (PHOTO FROM PIO NCRPO / FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN)
“There is now a good coordination and cooperation between the police and the BuCor, and also with other law enforcement agencies, this should be taken advantage of and therefore must continue,” said Eleazar.
Bantag earlier sought the assistance of Eleazar for augmentation when he refused to let prison guards to go on-duty over trust issues. In return, Eleazar has deployed 551 policemen to assume the duty vacated by the prison guards.
Eleazar and Bantag also worked for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the military access to the NBP through the establishment of the Quad-Intel Force Liaison Office for drug-busting purposes.
Recently, they coordinated for the entry of nearly 2,000 personnel from various government agencies in order to demolish all the illegal structures inside the NBP.
“We have a good start with the BuCor, we intend to finish what we started there in terms of denying all the convicted drug lords inside and even leaders of other criminal syndicates to continue with their operation,” said Eleazar.
On Saturday, Eleazar relinquished his post as Metro Manila police chief and assumed the 4th highest position in the PNP, the Chief of the Directorial Staff.
Bantag, in a statement, said: “I want to thank Police Major General Guillermo Eleazar because from the very start, he has been the one supporting me in my reform programs at the BuCor.”
Despite his new position, Eleazar vowed that he will continue supporting the reform programs of Bantag.
As Chief Directorial Staff, Eleazar will have direct supervision over major police units of the PNP.
Eleazar said there was a need to extend full support to the BuCor since for illegal drugs operations alone, most of the shabu supply in Metro Manila came from the syndicates still being managed by convicted drug lords inside the NBP.
“We believe that if they are denied the opportunity to make contact with their tentacles, it will mean crippling their operations and it is the Metro Manila residents, the Filipino people who will benefit from it,” said Eleazar.
The assistance to the BuCor, according to Eleazar, is not only concentrated on convicted drug lords but also against convicted leaders of various criminal syndicates.