Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar has set a meeting with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Wilkins Villanueva to iron out gaps in procedure on coordination between the two law enforcement agencies in the frontline of the campaign against illegal drugs.

Eleazar will be accompanied by senior PNP officers when they meet their PDEA counterparts for a top-level meeting at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

“Illegal drugs syndicates are taking advantage of the weaknesses or gaps in the rules of procedure on coordination and inter-operations between the PNP and the PDEA. Kasama ang PDEA, ito ang tututukan natin ngayon para maiwasan na maulit pa,” said Eleazar.

On Friday, May 14, operatives of the drug enforcement unit of the Quezon City Police District Station 4 and PDEA agents figured in an another incident of apparent miscommunication at the parking lot of a mall in Quezon City which affected the supposed buy-bust operations of the two agencies.

Fortunately inter-agency courtesy prevailed and averted a repeat of what happened last February along Commonwealth Avenue, also in Quezon City.

“We will look into this issue beyond coordination concern, ano ba talaga ang problema why this issue keeps on recurring? Kaya nga nag-schedule tayo ng meeting with Director General Wilkins Villanueva, kasama ang ibang concerned officers, para ito mapag usapan at maayos na,” said Eleazar.

He said the two incidents that happened in Quezon City, in February and on Friday, only strengthens the agencies’ resolve to strike hard against them.

“Likewise, we will set up features in the rules that would keep our men on the right track so that all their operations will be conducted with regularity and integrity,” said Eleazar. PNP-PIO