Inter-agency seaport drug task group eyed for Negros Island Region

July 25, 2025

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has proposed the creation of an inter-agency seaport drug interdiction task group (IADITG) to prevent the entry of illegal drugs in the Negros Island Region (NIR).

PDEA-NIR Director Melvin Estoque said Thursday that the model has been successfully implemented during his tenure as chief of the PDEA 6 (Western Visayas).

“We have seen its effectiveness in curbing drug smuggling through seaports, and we are committed to replicating and enhancing that framework here in the NIR,” he said in a statement.

IADITG-NIR is envisioned to serve as a permanent and unified body dedicated to preventing the use of ports as entry or exit points for illegal drugs and other contraband.

Estoque discussed the proposal during his courtesy call with Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) – Negros Occidental port manager Rodel Lagmay at the Banago Port in Bacolod City on Wednesday.

He said the PDEA-NIR has also held initial coordination meetings with other partner agencies that have expressed support for the formation of the task group.

Governors Eugenio Jose Lacson of Negros Occidental and Manuel Sagarbarria of Negros Oriental have pledged their commitment to the initiative as well, he added.

Aside from the PDEA and PPA, the proposed task group will include the Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Customs, Department of Justice, Maritime Industry Authority, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.

The creation of the IADITG-NIR will establish a coordinated, intelligence-driven, and multi-agency approach to securing maritime entry and exit points, considering that major ports in Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor are being identified as potential transshipment points for illegal drug trafficking.

As a task group, it will focus on joint interdiction operations, deployment of K9 units, cargo and passenger profiling, real-time intelligence sharing, and vessel monitoring.* (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)