PNP, DDB expect to ‘deepen’ coordination with new PDEA chief in anti-drug drive

MANILA, Philippines — The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and Philippine National Police (PNP) are expecting to “deepen” their collaboration in the government’s campaign against illegal drugs with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) having Wilkins Villanueva as the new chief.

In a statement, the DDB, a policy-making body tasked with preventing and controlling drug abuse, said: “The DDB welcomes the assumption of Director General Wilkins Villanueva as the new head of the PDEA. The DDB intends to engage more closely and deepen collaboration with his leadership as he will also become an Ex-Officio member of the Board,”

“DDB has involved him in many of its anti-drug efforts particularly in policy formulation and strategy development aspects which helped craft many of its inter-agency priorities all these years,” the DDB added.

For its part, the PNP, through spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, said in its own statement: “As a seasoned anti-narcotics operative honed by long years  of service in the PNP, his command of the country’s premiere anti-illegal drugs agency will result in better inter-operability of PNP and PDEA  in implementing the Philippine Anti-Drugs Strategy.”

Villanueva once served in PNP Narcotics Group.

On Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte named Villanueva, who is former PDEA Region 10 director, as the new PDEA director-general.

Villanueva replaced outgoing PDEA chief Aaron Aquino, who was later designated as head of Clark International Airport.

/atm