K-9 members flunk bomb-sniffing test

Talk about going to the dogs.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is set to procure as many as 300 more bomb-sniffing dogs over the next few years — after several canines it currently owns reportedly flunked an explosives-detection test given by PNP directorial staff chief Virtus Gil.

"The people who trained these dogs are not qualified. That is why the dogs failed," said Gil.

The test was conducted last week at Camp Crame and three dogs brought by the National Capital Region Police Office all failed. The NCRPO actually has five dogs, but only three were submitted for testing.

Gil said he later found out that the handler of the NCRPO dogs had been kicked out from a dog handling school run by Steve Hidosan, reputed to be a dog expert from the Balkans. Hidosan is set to supply a new batch of 28 bomb-sniffing dogs to the PNP at a cost of P20 million, or more than P700,000 each.

"Actually, we still do not have the funds for the purchase. But we have sent a memorandum to PNP Director General (Hermogenes) Ebdane and it would depend if he could get the funds," Gil said.

The Maritime Group failed to put its dogs to the test while the Aviation Security Group reportedly confessed that only three of its 13 dogs are "effective." The "effective" dogs, however, remain untested, Gil said.

He added that he received a report that the 10 K-9 dogs of the Presidential Security Group are not well-trained, either.

The 10 dogs being used by the PNP were lent by the Armed Forces. These dogs have been used in Mindanao.

Gil took exception to an article in The STAR last week which said that locally bred dogs are better than those bought directly from abroad.

"There is no way for us to know that because the one claiming that refused to submit his dogs to the test," Gil said, referring to local dog trainer Churchill Gomez. It was Gomez who provided and trained the dogs of the Philippine Coast Guard.

Gomez, though, said he will not submit his dogs to the test unless examined side by side with that being provided by Hidosan, who used to be Gomez’s partner.

"We have no choice but to buy the dog from (Hidosan) because he is the only one with formal training, and a dog training school," Gil said.

Gomez admitted having no formal training in dog handling, but said his father was the same trainer who formed the former K-9 unit of the PNP’s precursor, the Philippine Constabulary, in the 1960s. He owns and runs the Zemog K-9 training center.

Meanwhile, Coast Guard commandant Vice Adm. Reuben Lista, reacting to reports that the 14 imported K-9 dogs the Coast Guard acquired cost P6.5 million, said a drug- and bomb-sniffing dog is a bargain at P400,000.

"While the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines were able to acquire their K-9 dogs at prices ranging from P1 million to P2.5 million each, (we were) able to purchase our dogs at a much lower price," Lista said.

He added that the P400,000 package includes a two-year program of training, handling, production and breeding of the dogs. It also includes food, medicine and vitamins for the dogs and a training program for the dog’s handler.

The Coast Guard was recently accused of overpricing in the acquisition of its 14 K-9 dogs from Zemog, saying the private canine training center was accredited without going through a public bidding.

Some sectors said K-9 dogs do not cost more than P500,000 from accredited training centers. They also said dogs supplied by Zemog are locally bred, not imported as earlier claimed.

Lista also challenged his detractors to come out in the open, saying that he will immediately resign "if there is any tinge of truth (in) the accusation."

The Coast Guard acquired the first of the 14 imported trained Labrador Retrievers and Belgian Malinois dogs from Zemog K-9 training center.

Lista said the dogs were bought by the Philippine Ports Authority and given to the Coast Guard. PPA pledged to donate another 14 of the same breeds next year. It was the PNP Maritime Group which recommended Zemog to the PPA.

Gomez said his company offers the best comprehensive canine program for the government — the program includes breeding the 14 dogs, which they guaranteed will produce two puppies each.