CEBU CITY – All K9 dogs deployed in various ports in the province of Bohol are well-nourished and in good shape.
Bohol Gov. Aris Aumentado issued this clarification as he described as fake news reports that anti-narcotic dogs found in the province's ports are frail and seemed weak.
A FIT and well-groomed anti-narcotic dog is shown by a handler from the Bohol K9 team. (Contributed photo)
“There is some fake news being circulated by those who are against our administration that our K9 dogs are malnourished and have been neglected,” said Aumentado.
In his Facebook account, Aumentado shared a photo of an emaciated dog with its ribs clearly visible.
The photo was posted by a Facebook page named “The Bohol Marites” with caption “K9 sniffing dogs sa mga pantalan sa Bohol walay kaon ug malnourished angayan na tagaan ug pagtagad ni Aumentado (The K9-sniffing dogs in the ports of Bohol are not well-fed and malnourished. They should be given attention by Aumentado).”
The governor said the frail dog in the Facebook post is not owned by the province.
In a succeeding post, the governor posted a video showing the province’s five narcotic detection dogs (NDDs).
In the video, handlers showed the alertness and the ability of the five NDDs to detect contraband.
“These are the real K9 of the provincial government,” said Aumentado.
The governor said not all K9 dogs that can be seen in ports are owned by the province.
“There are several K9 dogs in our ports that have been deployed by various government agencies,” Aumentado said.
Aumentado has met officials of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Maritime Police, Philippine National Police, and Philippine Ports Authority to discuss tighter security measures in ports.
Effective deployment of K9 units in ports and airport was discussed in the meeting as Bohol tightened its security measures in entry points to prevent the smuggling of illegal drugs into the province.