Tuesday, October 04, 2005

PCG Tightens Caticlan Port Security

By: Boy Ryan B. Zabal

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Caticlan Office vowed to heavily tighten said security at the Caticlan jetty port, the jump-off point to Boracay Island. PCG issued the call following the report of the Regional Maritime Group (RMG) 6 which identified the port as one of the entry and exit points of illegal drugs in Western Visayas.
Lt. Comdr. Edgar Ybanez, chief of PCG Caticlan Office, said the jetty port officials should beef up its security guards even at night to secure passengers of roll-on-roll-off vessels, and to arrest drug peddlers. Earlier, Supt. Cornelio Salinas, chief of RMG 6, confirmed that the Caticlan jetty port is one of the 17 transit ports for illegal fishing and drug trafficking in Region 6. “Ships docking on these ports from nearby islands of Panay, particularly Mindoro, Romblon and Negros Occidental use container vans to ship supplies to drug peddlers,” Salinas disclosed.
‘The government should consider deploying additional security guards,” Ybanez said. Caticlan jetty port administrator Nieven Maquirang is aware of the lack of security guards on the multi-million jetty port, one of Aklan’s major economic enterprises.
Apart from their regular duty at Caticlan jetty port, his men also man the Tabon jetty port, the Boracay detachment office, ad are on standby for rescue operations. “We thus have limited personnel to secure the Caticlan jetty port,” Ybanez said. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

No comments: