SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union (PIA) – Key government offices in the Ilocos Region have established a Seaport Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Force (SIADITF) to help prevent the entry of illegal drugs through its coastlines and ports.
The task force was created through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) among the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), and members of the Region 1 Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), which was signed by all the parties in a simple ceremony at the PPA Training Center here on Aug. 28 to strengthen border protection in Region 1.
The creation of the SIADITF builds on the Seaport Interdiction Unit (SIU), established in 2017, to further strengthen efforts against drug trafficking in the region.
A seaport interdiction training for 56 interagency personnel held from August 28 to 30 also helps boost the ability to enforce the region’s anti-drug campaign in its seaports and coastlines.
The same personnel shall be stationed in the existing SIUs in the port of Sual in the province of Pangasinan and the port of San Fernando City in La Union.
Interdiction is a term in the anti-illegal drugs campaign that refers to the act of preventing the movement of a prohibited commodity.
This collaboration to combat illegal drugs is part of the PDEA’s commitment to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s eight-point economic agenda, which focuses on ensuring public order, safety, and security.
PDEA Assistant Secretary Israel Ephraim Dickson said that creating the SIADITF through the MOA signing reflects the united effort of member agencies to stop the spread of illegal drugs.
“An integrated approach is essential to combating these threats. It is a testament to our collective resolve to strike a blow to the proliferation of illicit drugs in Region 1,” Dickson said.
Aaron Villanueva, from Agoo, La Union, meanwhile, praised the initiative to strengthen border control against illegal drugs, as he expressed expectation that it will foster stronger and more united communities.
“This approach will succeed with support not only from the government but also from the public. Cooperation and active participation are key,” Villanueva emphasized.
PDEA Region 1 reported that the Philippines is a key transit hub, transshipment point, and destination for large-scale drug shipments within global trafficking networks.
Global drug trafficking has also increasingly relied on freight and cargo to move illegal drugs, making stronger border controls essential to stop their spread in the Philippines. (AMB/CCMT/PIA La Union)