(Eagle News) — Philippine National Police Chief Guillermo Eleazar and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Wilkins Villanueva are set to meet to iron out what the PNP said were gaps and weaknesses in procedure on coordination and interoperability between the two law enforcement agencies in the war on drugs.
In a statement, the PNP said Eleazar sought the meeting following another incident of apparent miscommunication at the parking lot of a mall in Quezon City involving the drug enforcement unit of the Quezon City Police District Station 4 and PDEA agents on Friday, May 14.
In the end, the PNP said “inter-agency courtesy” prevailed and timely communication averted a repeat of what happened last February along Commonwealth Avenue, also in Quezon City, where a shootout ensued and killed two police officers, a PDEA agent and an informant.
“We will look into this issue beyond coordination concern, ano ba talaga ang problema why this issue keeps on recurring? Kaya nga nag-schedule tayo ng meeting with Director General Wilkins Villanueva, kasama ang ibang concerned officers, para ito mapag usapan at maayos na,” Eleazar said.
Eleazar said in the first place, all government’s drug enforcement units should constantly analyze, discuss and update the strategies in the campaign against illegal drugs to identify the areas of improvement in the conduct of intelligence-gathering and operations.
“Likewise, we will set up features in the rules that would keep our men on the right track so that all their operations will be conducted with regularity and integrity,” he said.
The PNP said the top-level meeting will take place in Camp Crame in Quezon City.