Republic of the Philippines OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT PHILIPPINE DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY REGIONAL OFFICE III DiosdadoMacapagal Regional Government Center Brgy. Maimpis, San Fernando City, Pampanga Telefax-(045) 649-1008; Telephone (045) 649-1009; email [email protected] REGIONAL OFFICE PROFILE BRIEFER ON PDEA REGIONAL OFFICE III The PDEA Regional Office III, or PDEA RO III, is among the Agency’s 18 regional office nationwide, which has primary operational control, supervision and jurisdiction in Central Luzon. After the enactment of Republic Act No. 9165 in July 2002, the PDEA RO III office was housed at the PNP Annex Building in No. 7372, Clark Special Economic Zone, Clarkfield, Pampanga. In October 2003, the Region forged a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the PNP PRO 3 to relocate the PDEA RO III in the office space formerly occupied by the defunct PNP PRO 3 Narcotics Group at Camp Captain Julian Olivas in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Since then, the PDEA Regional Office III is located in Camp Olivas, City of San Fernando, Pampanga. In 2008, plantilla positions were created for PDEA, in which 11 organic personnel holding different positions reported at PDEA RO III. Drug Enforcement Officers (DEOs) were also assigned in this Regional Office to cater to the demands of anti-drug problem. In 2009, the PDEA RO III initiated the request for NEDA RO 3 to assign an office lot for the Office at the Regional Government Center in Barangay Maimpis, City of San Fernando, Pampanga. In 2013, the Office constructed the PDEA RO III Regional Forensic Laboratory. In February 2014, the PDEA RO III was assigned with a 500 sq.m. lot in Regional Government Center in Barangay Maimpis, City of San Fernando, Pampanga. After the acquisition of the office space, GOVERNOR LILIA “NANAY” G. PINEDA funded the construction of a two-story building for the PDEA RO III. The construction of the new PDEA RO III building at the Regional Government Center in Brgy. Maimpis, City of San Fernando, Pampanga formally started on May 26, 2015. After six (6) months of construction, the building was completed in November 2015 and was turned over to the PDEA RO III on December 21, 2015. The Office started transferring its equipment and facilities in the new building from December 22, 2016 to January 22, 2016 and became fully operational in the new building on January 25, 2016. The Office is now constructing a new detention facility/building, which is undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways Regional Office III (DPWH RO III). The United States government, through the US Drug Enforcement Administration (US/DEA) has been extending support to anti-drug enforcement units of the PDEA through its Narcotics Enforcement Training Team (NETT) unit program. This support comes in the form of training, infrastructure and other logistical assistance. The PDEA RO III is one of the three (3) PDEA offices, which has been the recipient of the said program from 2015-2016. In 2006 and 2014, PDEA RO III was hailed as the BEST REGIONAL OFFICE. I. LEADERSHIP CHANGES In July 2002, Police Superintendent SONNY YANGA DAVID, a detailed officer from the Philippine National Police (PNP), became the first acting Regional Director of PDEA RO III. In July 2003, Police Superintendent JEROME S BAXINELLA replaced Police Superintendent SONNY DAVID as the Acting Regional Director. He initiated the forging of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the former Regional Director of Police Regional Office-3 (PRO3) for the relocation of PDEA RO III to the office formerly occupied by the PNP Narcotics Group (PNP Narcom) in Camp Captain Julian Olivas, City of San Fernando, Pampanga. In 2007, Police Chief Inspector EMERSON M MANIBO replaced Police Superintendent BAXINELLA as regional director. In the same year, Police Superintendent JOSE CARLITO APOLONIO E RAYCO replaced Police Chief Inspector MANIBO. In 2009, Police Superintendent DIONISIO B BARTOLOME JR. replaced Police Superintendent JOSE CARLITO APOLONIO E RAYCO as Regional Director. After the conclusion of the detail order of police officers with the Agency, organic PDEA officers assumed leadership of its offices in 2010. DIRECTOR RONALD ALLAN DG RICARDO became the first organic PDEA officer to lead the PDEA RO III as Regional Director; DIRECTOR ROYBEL M SANCHEZ; DIRECTOR LYNDON P ASPACIO; DIRECTOR CARLOS L FLORES, JR; DIRECTOR ADRIAN G ALVARIÑO, DIRECTOR JEOFFREY C TACIO, DIRECTOR GLADYS F ROSALES, the first lady PDEA officer to head the Region, DIRECTOR EMERSON L MARGATE, DIRECTOR JUVENAL BLANQUERA AZURIN, DIRECTOR ISMAEL G FAJARDO JR, DIRECTOR MARIO DE ASIS RAMOS and DIRECTOR JOSEPH C LADIP DIRECTOR III GIL T PABILONA is the incumbent Regional Director. II. CHAIN OF COMMAND The Regional Office is headed by a Regional Director with the rank of Director III, assisted by an Assistant Regional Director with the rank of Director II. The Office is conferred with 83 positions for its organic personnel in pursuant to the DBM approved Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern (OSSP). In addition, the Office employs 9 project-based employees as Case Monitors that liaise with Regional Trial Courts in the area. PDEA Regional Office III has two (2) divisions: The Administrative Division (AD) and the Plans and Operations Division (POD) that are headed by the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Chief, POD, respectively. The Administrative Division has six (6) sections: Logistics and Property Management, Personnel Management, Finance and Disbursing Management, Records Management, Message Center and General Services. The POD has five (5) sections: Intelligence and Investigation Section (IIS), Regional Laboratory, Regional Compliance, Regional Tactical Operations Center (RTOC); Custodial and Detention Facility (CDF); Further, the Office has seven (7) Provincial Offices (Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales) and two (2) Highly Urbanized City Offices (Olongapo and Angeles). The Airport Interdiction Unit at the Clark International Airport along with other enforcers from member-law enforcement agencies formed the Clark International Airport Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (CIA-IADITG). This task group under the supervision of the Regional Director as Task Group Commander and assisted by the Assistant Regional Director as Assistant Group Commander. III. PDEA RO III LOGO To fully adapt and realign its ideals to the Agency’s mission and vision, PDEA Regional Office III launched its Office Logo on April 25, 2014 in Morong, Bataan. The logo’s components are: A. CIRCLE: Stands for Unity and Eternity. It mirrors the eternal dedication of PDEA RO III’s in fulfilling what we are all called for as emphasized in our mission and vision. B. NINE RAYS: Stands for seven provinces: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales; and two key cities: Angeles and Olongapo, in Central Luzon. C. MAP: Regional identity. D. Colors RED, BLUE AND YELLOW: Symbolizes that the goal for a drug - free nation is seen as a national concern, amidst being in the regional level. E. SWORD: “to wound or to cut”. A high prestigious weapon that is primarily used for cutting and thrusting. A symbol of martial power in pursuit of honor and virtue. Symbolic of liberty and strength. F. OWL: mostly solitary and a nocturnal bird of prey: hunting strategy depends on stealth and surprise. Exemplified by good adaptation behavior making them invisible under certain conditions and making flight practically silent. They swivel their head to visualize their surroundings. Owl’s heads are capable of swiveling through an angle of approximately 270 degrees, easily enabling them to see behind them without relocating the torso. This ability keeps bodily movement at a minimum and thus reduces the amount of sound the owl makes as it waits for its prey and its asymmetrical ear placement on the skull allows it to pinpoint its prey’s location. They are seen as symbol of wisdom, art and scholarship. In the olden times, they are believed to be harbingers of death and associated with destruction. The owl is a symbol of status and intelligence. It is believed that the owl is often a guide to and through the underworld, a creature of keen sight in darkness. Like an owl, this Office is a right guide to many lives, a silent but swift hunter of the drug personalities. Like the owl, we are guided by wisdom and honor in our campaign against illegal drugs. IV. OPERATIONAL JURISDICTION Region III, or geographically referred to as “Central Luzon”, is located north of Manila, and is bounded by neighboring regions of Ilocos, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Cagayan Valley regions to the north; National Capital Region (NCR) and Calaba, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (CALABARZON) to the south; and of waters of Manila Bay to the south; West Philippine Sea (formerly South China Sea) to the west; and the Philippine Sea to the east. Central Luzon has the largest bordering lowland in the Philippine Archipelago, with 18,230 square meters land area, or 7.1 percent of the total land area of the country. It is composed of seven provinces, namely: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales; and 13 cities, which include: Balanga in Bataan; Malolos, Meycauayan and San Jose del Monte in Bulacan; Cabanatuan, Gapan, Science City of Muñoz, Palayan and San Jose in Nueva Ecija; Angeles and San Fernando in Pampanga; Tarlac City in Tarlac; and Olongapo in Zambales. There are 20 congressional districts, 117 municipalities and 3,102 barangays. The City of San Fernando, Pampanga is the regional center of Central Luzon while the cities of Angeles and Olongapo are the region’s highly urbanized cities. Region III is vulnerable to illegal drugs trade for the following reasons: 1. Its location is considered by the experts as very ideal in the establishment of clandestine laboratories and warehouses as well as in the distribution and administration of dangerous drugs.