Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III, along with representatives from various agencies, recently signed a memorandum of agreement creating the Seaport Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (SIADITG).
“As mayor of Iloilo City, we are thankful for the creation of this task group because we will now have a new group that will prevent illegal drugs from entering our region and our city,” Espinosa explained.
Among the agencies involved include the regional Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Bureau of Customs, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police-Regional Maritime Unit, Maritime Industry Authority, National Intelligence Coordination Agency, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources; along with the Philippine Ports Authority.
SIADITG is expected to conduct periodic meetings and dialogues, develop strategies to deter and prevent the entry of suspicious personalities and cargo, and conduct joint anti-drug operations./WDJ