CEBU CITY – The province of Cebu has launched a united task force against illegal drugs to combat the menace of narcotics which Gov. Gwen Garcia believes have crept back in since President Duterte stepped down in June.
Garcia led the creation of the One Cebu Inter-Agency Interdiction Task Force (OC-IAITF) whose primary goal is to block the entry of illegal drugs in all ports in the entire Cebu island.
Garcia, local officials, as well as the chiefs of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Visayas (PDEA-7) and Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7) on Wednesday, Dec. 7, signed a Memorandum of Agreement to formalize their participation in the task force.
Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba, chief of PRO-7, and PDEA-7 Director Levi Ortiz were among those who signed the MOA.
In her speech after the signing of the MOA at the Capitol Social Hall, Garcia said that illegal drugs have started to proliferate after Duterte ended his term last June 30.
During his six-year term, Duterte launched a massive campaign against illegal drugs that saw deadly police operations.
"For six years, these illegal drugs and drug lords lay low but now let's admit it, with President Digong gone, they are slowly creeping in,” Garcia said.
Garcia led a series of meetings with local officials and law enforcement chiefs before the task force was formally launched.
She said Cebu officials should take the lead in stopping the illegal drugs trade on the island. "The menace of illegal drugs cannot be overly emphasized. It destroys families. It destroys societies," Garcia said.
Garcia blocking the entry of illegal drugs into the province is one way of addressing the drug problem.
Measures to block the entry of illegal drugs will be similar to the steps that the province has taken to prevent the African Swine Fever from entering Cebu, the lady governor said.
"If we cannot totally eradicate it, we will make it very, very difficult for these drug suppliers, as I said, to make Cebu their marketplace. We will make it very, very difficult for those who intent to start another lucrative business selling drugs here in Cebu. We will make life a hell for them," Garcia said.
Other agencies joining the task force are the National Bureau of Investigation 7, Armed Forces of the Philippines-Visayas Command, Philippine Coast Guard, Cebu Ports Authority, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Bureau of Customs Cebu, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the Maritime Industry Authority.
Also members of the task force, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu and Cebu City chapters will help in the successful prosecution of arrested drug suspects.