PDEA hands out P5 M in reward to 22 tipsters
By Chito Chavez
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Monday handed out a total of P4,914,416.74 in cash reward to 22 confidential informants who gave valuable tips to the agency that proved vital in its successful anti-drug operations.
In simple rites at the PDEA headquarters in Quezon City, PDEA Director General Wilkins M. Villanueva handed out the reward to the masked informants to conceal their identities for their personal safety.
However, only three informants who garnered the highest monetary reward attended the ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
They are:
1. Informant "Nonong" who received P1,250,035.86 for providing information resulting in the confiscation of 117,697.56 grams of shabu and the arrest of one drug personality during a buy-bust operation on 21 B. Tabayoc St., Barangay Sienna, Quezon City on Dec. 24, 2019.
2. Informant "Dark Horse" who received P594,696.67 for supplying information that led to the seizure 19,483.9 grams of shabu and the arrest of two drug personalities during an interdiction operation in Matnog Seaport, Matnog, Sorsogon on Jan. 16, 2020.
3. Informant "Ferdi" who received P542,156.57 for providing information that resulted in the seizure of 15,007.27 grams of shabu and the arrest of three drug personalities during a buy-bust operation on Molino Boulevard, corner Aguinaldo Highway, Talaba 4, Bacoor, Cavite on March 5, 2020,” PDEA said.
Villanueva said that the masked cash reward recipients are only identified through their code names also for their safety.
He said the granting of rewards and incentives is under PDEA “Operation: Private Eye,” a citizen-based information collection program designed to encourage the active participation of private citizens to report illegal drug activities in their communities.
Villanueva said that Operation Private Eye is one way to entice the public to assist the government in its fight against illegal drugs.
The rewards are approved by the Private Eye Rewards Committee composed of the members from the academe, non-government organizations (NGOs), law enforcement groups, religious, and business sectors.
Villanueva noted that committee members extensively deliberate relevant concerns before approving the grant of cash rewards to the confidential informants.
PDEA units rewarded, too
Meanwhile, six operating units of the PDEA on Monday were awarded a total of P5,916,765.78 for their meritorious performance in their anti-drug operations.
Awarded were PDEA-Intelligence and Investigation Service (PDEA-IIS), PDEA-Special Enforcement Service (PDEA-SES), PDEA Regional Office-National Capital Region (PDEA RO-NCR), PDEA Regional Office V (PDEA ROV), PDEA Regional Office VII (PDEA ROVII), and PDEA Regional Office VIII (PDEA ROVIII).
“These PDEA operating units received cash rewards under PDEA ‘Operation: Lawmen,’ an incentive program for law enforcers or members of the anti-illegal drug units/teams or task forces, including the support unit/s after the conduct of laudable anti-drug operations,” Villanueva said.
“Operation: Lawmen, having been institutionalized through Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation No. 1, Series of 2016 on Aug. 3, 2016, took effect on Sept. 3, 2016. The program is the counterpart of Operation: Private Eye (OPE), a reward and incentive scheme for civilian informants,’’ PDEA said.
“Classified as meritorious anti-drug operations are: Successful arrest of the violator/s and seizure, confiscation, or surrender of dangerous drugs, plant sources of dangerous drugs, and controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECs) in any part of the country, or seizure of high volume or quantity of the same made possible through the conduct of search warrant operation, buy-bust operation, eradication, interdiction, interception, controlled delivery operation, checkpoint, inspection or search and seizure in detention, jail, correctional or prison facility and other legitimate operations,’’ it added.
PDEA-IIS received the highest reward of P1,396,068.85 for its operation at the Manila International Container Port-Container Freight Station 3 (MICP-CFS3) March 22, 2019. The operation resulted in the confiscation of 276,349.82 grams of or shabu worth P1.8 billion.
“A cash reward of P792,920 was also granted to PDEA-IIS after the implementation of a search warrant in Purok 5, Barangay San Ildefonso, Magalang, Pampanga on Sept. 7, 2016 that led to the dismantling of a small-scale clandestine shabu laboratory, the seizure of 488.2 grams of methylephedrine, and the arrest of seven drug personalities,’’ PDEA said.
PDEA-SES got P542,156.57 for its successful conduct of a buy-bust operation on Molino Boulevard corner Aguinaldo Highway, Talaba 4, Bacoor, Cavite on March 5, 2020 that led to the seizure of 15,007.27 grams of shabu worth P102.05 million and arrest of three drug personalities.
PDEA RO-NCR received P937,523.67 for an entrapment operation on Tabayoc St., Barangay Sienna, Quezon City on Dec. 24, 2019 which resulted in the confiscation of 117.7 kilograms of shabu worth P800.3 million and arrest of a drug personality.
The amount of P594,721.19 was given to PDEA ROV after an interdiction operation in Matnog Seaport, Matnog, Sorsogon on Jan. 16, 2020 that led to the seizure of 19,486.9 grams of shabu worth P132.49 million and the arrest of two drug personalities.
“P528,000 was awarded to PDEA ROVII after the successful conduct of a marijuana eradication operation in Sitio Capio-an, Barangay Sunog, Balamban, Cebu on Nov. 14, 2019 which led to the destruction of 22,000 pieces of fully-grown marijuana plants worth P4.4 million, and the arrest of three drug personalities.
PDEA ROVIII received the reward of P1,125,375.50 for a land interdiction operation on the national highway in Gandara, Samar on Oct. 17, 2019 resulting in the confiscation of 87,835 grams of shabu, worth P597.28 million, and the arrest of six drug personalities.