Ebdane wants security tightened for 'Salaknib'

Posted to the Manila Times (Apr 6, 2023):  Ebdane wants security tightened for 'Salaknib' (By Mahatma Randy V. Datu)

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IBA, Zambales: Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. urged government agencies, including military and police forces, in Central Luzon to maintain heightened security amid the deployment of foreign troops in the region for the military exercises between the Philippines and the United States.

Presiding over the first-quarter meeting of the reorganized Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), Ebdane called on the civilian and military units to anticipate the peace and order situation in the region during the visit of the American troops.

Around 12,000 American soldiers will join "Salaknib" 2023 this month, which is seen as the biggest training event between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US military.

This year's exercises will involve live-fire events in the waters off Zambales.

Ebdane, a former chief of the Philippine National Police, secretary of defense and national security adviser, said the RPOC must have a forward assessment of the situation.

"Let us optimize utilization of government resources and let us think from the point of view of the enemy. What will they do to counter this deployment?" said Ebdane, who was appointed last month by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as RPOC chairman for Region 3 (Central Luzon). This was a post he had previously held three times since 2010.

"Let us create a situation where criminals and security threats cannot exist," he added.

During the March 29 RPOC meeting at the Kingsborough International Convention Center here, Ebdane received reports on the peace and order program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government office in Region 3; internal peace and security from the Philippine Army; criminality from Police Regional Office 3; and illegal drugs from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

An officer from the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army reported the presence of a "weakened" remnant of insurgent groups. He also noted that the New People's Army had not initiated violence in the last two years in the region.

Clearing operations by government forces had also yielded a cache of arms, ammunition and supplies in some remote areas in Central Luzon, the Army reported.

Meanwhile, PDEA Regional Office 3 reported that it uncovered large-scale drug operations in the region, with shabu and marijuana as the drugs of choice.

It noted that the mail and parcel method was the primary mode of trafficking, while more drug dealers were using the "dark web," or the online platforms, for the illicit trade.

Ebdane urged all concerned agencies to continue making reports on security and criminal situations so that the RPOC can estimate the volume or density of crimes in every district and undertake proactive policing.

He also mentioned as a special concern the cases of incestuous rape in the community, with current data placing a total of 137 cases in Zambales alone.

"The incidence is quite alarming," Ebdane pointed out. "This should not happen."He said law enforcers should also tap the assistance of other government agencies that have police authority to help maintain public order and safety.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/04/06/news/regions/ebdane-wants-security-tightened-for-salaknib/1885955