New CAR police chief vows to dismantle PAGs

Newly installed Cordillera police director Chief Superintendent Eugene Martin vowed to prioritize the dismantling of private armies and to intensify the campaign against illegal drugs and illegal logging during his term.

“There will be no sacred cows in our effort to make the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) peaceful and tourist-friendly,” said Martin during his first command conference attended by his six provincial directors, the Baguio City police chief and the heads of the national support units.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Calderon installed Martin as CAR police director last Tuesday. He replaced Chief Superintendent Raul Gonzales who retired upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Prior to his appointment as CAR police director, Martin headed Task Force Abra which dismantled at least six private armies in Abra during the May 14 elections.

Martin said there are at least three remaining private armed groups (PAGs) operating in the CAR area, all of them in Abra.

He directed Senior Superintendent Alex Pumecha, Abra police director, to neutralize the remaining PAGs which have been blamed for the rash of political killings in the province.

The CAR director also directed his provincial directors and chiefs of city and municipal police offices and support units to renew their order of battle against personalities involved in the distribution of illegal drugs in their respective jurisdictions.

“We should intensify our barangay drug clearing operations and neutralize those involved in large-scale distribution of illegal drugs there,” he said, noting that he has received no reports of any shabu laboratory operating in the region.

Meanwhile, Martin said checkpoints in the region will now include personnel of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for a joint operation against illegal loggers.

During the command conference, Martin called for a 90 percent deployment of policemen in the field to prevent street crimes.

He said the remaining 10 percent would remain in police headquarters to do paper works.

“Police visibility would be our tool in crime prevention. We will establish Community- Police Assistance Centers in crime-prone areas in cooperation with community and local leaders to curb street crimes,” he said.

Martin also directed his provincial directors to give top priority to their tourist-oriented policing (TOP) in their localities.

The TOP is under the auspices of the Community-Oriented Policing System (COPS) of the PNP.

He ordered provincial directors to have their men undergo TOP seminars to effectively assist and secure tourists.

Martin vowed to take care of the welfare of CAR policemen and their families under his administration.