By Perla Lena
In Iloilo City, the Bantay Dagat initiative aims to enhance the anti-drug campaign, with a specific focus on coastal and shoreline regions in both the northern and southern areas of the province.
Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. highlighted that while Bantay Dagat’s primary role revolves around combating illegal fishing, it can also contribute to anti-drug efforts. He emphasized the importance of leveraging their operations against illegal drugs, particularly targeting ports as key entry and exit points for such activities.
Defensor said they could ask barangay officials of coastal areas to assist them in their anti-drug watch.
“We will involve them in keeping watch of our coastlines as a possible entry of drugs in the province. We have talked to our provincial, and regional directors that we will involve the Bantay Dagat in monitoring the situation,” Defensor said in a media interview Wednesday.
The governor raised the proposal during the courtesy visit of Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO6) director Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky, together with Iloilo Police Provincial Office director Col. Ronaldo Palomo on March 13, 2024.
He said they are looking at more measures to boost the campaign, as currently, they are strengthening the capacity of the Philippine National Police in the ports to detect and prevent the entry of drugs.
“It entered our mind to engage Bantay Dagat because Bantay Dagat does not only mean illegal fishing. Even before our direction for Bantay Dagat together with the northern Iloilo alliance is not only illegal fishing but the management of the Visayan Sea- the environment and the illegal activities there,” he added.
The proposal will be discussed during the next meeting of the northern Iloilo alliance and in the south, where there are coastlines.
Defensor said the entry of illegal drugs through coastlines “is a case of smuggling, except that it’s a worse case because what they are smuggling are illegal per se and not only ordinary goods.”
Since Wanky assumed as regional director last month, the massive anti-drug campaign yielded 1,805.50 grams of shabu valued at PHP12.277 million and apprehended 157 drug personalities from Feb. 15 to March 15, 2024. (PNA)
