THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Cordillera agents have been used to conducting operations outside their jurisdiction and with no proper coordination with their counterparts.

Four such agents caught in eastern Pangasinan last week appeared to be again on another uncoordinated ‘mission’ with local police counterparts although they claimed to have informed their regional office in Cordillera about a drug operation.

Their chief would however say they really did inform him but he was unaware his men would stage a ‘hulidap’ (slang for holdup).

It will be recalled that one of their assets here in Dagupan City, a certain “Karing,” was killed in an operation gone awry some months back in Bonuan Binloc. The team only informed the city police when the situation got out of hand., it was learned.
“Apasapasal la ra” (They’ve been so used to it), the PDEA region l head was quoted as telling police officials from the region and Pangasinan, referring to the penchant for non-coordination of the Cordillera group with local police authorities during their out-of-jurisdiction operations.
Four sachets of shabu were recovered in the suspect PDEA men’s ’ vehicle, which substance was supposed to be planted on the victims, Supt. Noli Talino, deputy provincial police director for operations, noted. The suspects were detained at the Tayug police station pending action on kidnapping with ransom charges to be filed against them last Friday.
Assistant Secretary Rodolfo Caisip, PDEA deputy chief whom Bataoil called to report the incident, would not let his field men go unpunished and urged the filing of necessary charges against them, Talino said.