An inter-agency project “worth emulating” was how Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers described Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s initiative to put up anti-illegal drugs offices in Cebu’s 22 major seaports.
Barbers, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, dished out plenty of good words about the implementation of stricter border control to prevent the entry of illegal drugs into the province.
“Since maraming pwedeng daanan o pasukan ng shabu at iba pang illegal drugs sa bansa dahil tayo’y isang archipelago, isang magandang hakbang at halimbawa ang ginawa ng (Since shabu and other illegal drugs have many entry points because we are an archipelago, one good step and example was the one undertaken by) Cebu government led by Gov. Garcia,” he said in a statement.
Calling it the “localized drug war”, the lawmaker prodded other local chief executives to adopt such strategy of the Cebu governor to combat illegal drugs.
“Her anti-illegal drugs project is worth emulating by other local chief executives of island-towns, cities and provinces in the country,” Barbers asserted.
He specifically mentioned Garcia’s fellow of governors “whose jurisdictions have many seaports.”
READ: Cebu to activate anti-illegal drug offices in seaports
“The ‘localized drug war’ initiated by Gov. Garcia in Cebu is commendable,” Barbers said, citing the establishment of anti-illegal drugs offices in the province’s 22 major seaports.
The new setup is part of the strict border control efforts of the One Cebu Inter-Agency Interdiction Task Force organized by the Cebu provincial government, the Central Visayas police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7).
The chiefs of police in the 22 seaports will head the sub-offices as commanders and a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) officer as its deputy. These sub-offices will be under the supervision of the PDEA-7.
Garcia said officials of the concerned government agencies have vowed to stop the entry of illegal drugs into Cebu province with stricter inspections of passengers and cargoes to be supervised by the “anti-drug offices” at the port.
A command center will also be set up at the Cebu capitol in Cebu City to monitor these ports with live, closed-circuit television cameras and other communication equipment.