By Martin Sadongdong
Persons who want to be anti-illegal drug operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), will soon undergo a military-style medical and physical examination to impose the highest standards of fitness on its personnel.
Gen. Felimon T. Santos, AFP EastMinCom Commander (AFP EastMinCom / MANILA BULLETIN)
This was bared on Wednesday as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and PDEA forged an agreement that seeks to provide the latter medical and physical examiners from the military to augment the agency’s evaluation of applicants for its Drug Enforcement Officers (DEOs) positions.
A memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed by General Felimon Santos Jr., AFP Chief of Staff, and PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino at the PDEA's headquarters in Quezon City to formalize the partnership.
According to the MOA, the PDEA was in need of a "highly organized" medical government physician specialists to evaluate and validate the results of physical examinations of PDEA Intelligence Officer I candidates conducted in the different selected examining facilities in the country.
Medical professionals that comprise the AFP's Medical Board No.1 will be made available to assist PDEA in evaluation, re-evaluation, and validation of medical, physical, and dental examination results to ensure that applicants are fit to perform the duties of a Drug Enforcement Officer.
The board includes an internist, cardiologist, general surgeon, radiologist, ophthalmologist, ENT, OB-gynecologist, and orthopedic surgeon/specialist who also examine entrants in the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), the country's premier military academy.
Santos expressed support for PDEA as it continues to heed President Duterte's order to eradicate illegal drugs in the Philippines.
"The AFP is with you and gives its full support on the war on drugs. We deeply value our partnership and we look forward to realizing our common vision of securing lasting peace in our country," he said.
On the other hand, Aquino thanked the AFP for its support to the agency, noting the importance of ensuring the fitness of all of its anti-narcotics operatives in the realization of their vision of a drug-free Philippines.
"We are fortunate to be with the AFP in the signing of this agreement as we need to ensure that our DEOs are fit for the rigorous six-month training," Aquino said.
"The agreement is definitely a big boost to the selection process of aspiring PDEA agents to determine their fitness to undergo the rigorous training," he added.
The agreement will be valid for one year and will take effect upon the approval of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
Gen. Felimon T. Santos, AFP EastMinCom Commander (AFP EastMinCom / MANILA BULLETIN)
This was bared on Wednesday as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and PDEA forged an agreement that seeks to provide the latter medical and physical examiners from the military to augment the agency’s evaluation of applicants for its Drug Enforcement Officers (DEOs) positions.
A memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed by General Felimon Santos Jr., AFP Chief of Staff, and PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino at the PDEA's headquarters in Quezon City to formalize the partnership.
According to the MOA, the PDEA was in need of a "highly organized" medical government physician specialists to evaluate and validate the results of physical examinations of PDEA Intelligence Officer I candidates conducted in the different selected examining facilities in the country.
Medical professionals that comprise the AFP's Medical Board No.1 will be made available to assist PDEA in evaluation, re-evaluation, and validation of medical, physical, and dental examination results to ensure that applicants are fit to perform the duties of a Drug Enforcement Officer.
The board includes an internist, cardiologist, general surgeon, radiologist, ophthalmologist, ENT, OB-gynecologist, and orthopedic surgeon/specialist who also examine entrants in the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), the country's premier military academy.
Santos expressed support for PDEA as it continues to heed President Duterte's order to eradicate illegal drugs in the Philippines.
"The AFP is with you and gives its full support on the war on drugs. We deeply value our partnership and we look forward to realizing our common vision of securing lasting peace in our country," he said.
On the other hand, Aquino thanked the AFP for its support to the agency, noting the importance of ensuring the fitness of all of its anti-narcotics operatives in the realization of their vision of a drug-free Philippines.
"We are fortunate to be with the AFP in the signing of this agreement as we need to ensure that our DEOs are fit for the rigorous six-month training," Aquino said.
"The agreement is definitely a big boost to the selection process of aspiring PDEA agents to determine their fitness to undergo the rigorous training," he added.
The agreement will be valid for one year and will take effect upon the approval of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.