PD Blanco meets Gov. Espino

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN – The new acting police provincial director of Pangasinan was glad meeting recently Governor Amado T. Espino at his office here.

PANG'NAN NEW ACTING PD:  Provincial Police Office
OIC Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Sterling Raymund Blan-
co being interviewed by a TV Reporter in his first offi-
cial duty on January 16 in Pangasinan. MCO 

Sr. Supt. Sterling Raymund Blanco said that his courtesy call in January 16 to the province’s top executive was a standard operational procedure for the top head of the provincial police.

“Iyan po ay isang protocol na pinag bigyan galang ang namumuno sa ating lalawigan. Iyon po ang ating ginawa, “ he stressed in Filipino.

Blanco is a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s class of 1989. He replaced the controversial Sr. Supt. Marlou C. Chan who was reassigned as the chief of the prestigious directorial staff in December 17 in the regional police office (RPO) in San Fernando City, La Union.

Espino, a last term governor and a member of PMA Class 1973, warmly received Blanco who was accompanied by Sr. Supt. Moro Virgilio Lazo, hold-over chief of the RPO in Region-1 who paid a courtesy call also to the governor.

Espino, according to radio report, was elated when Blanco paid him a visit.

“Hindi gaya ng dating PD (provincial director) dito na hindi man lang nagpapakita sa akin at nais pa akong ipakulong,” the report said.

Blanco said the marching order from Espino for him was to wage war against the proliferation of illegal drugs and put a plug on the galloping murder rates in Pangasinan.

“Although meron tayong primary agency to address this problem at tayo po ay nakikipag coordinate sa Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Kasama po ang PDEA kasi po sila ang  magko-coordinate ng maayos para natin share ng available information para mas mapa-igting natin ang laban sa mga suspects”.

ANTI -DRUG TOP HONCHO: New Region 1 
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency's  Regional
 Director Adrian Alvarino (Right) explained
  the spates of illegal drug incidences and 
apprehension in the cities of Dagupan and Urdaneta.

Meanwhile, new PDEA Regional Director Adrian Alvarino, who was brought at the provincial police office here by Blanco, explained that illegal drugs flourish  when cities like Dagupan and Urdaneta urbanized.

“Pag makita mo na mataas ang economic activity sa isang area na iyan maraming forms ng criminality din. Not only that all other forms of criminality. So, iyan ang isang concern ng law enforcement na tutukan,” he stressed.

He said since the two cities have higher incidence of drug related reports and apprehension the full force of the PDEA in Region 1 throws its weight in the two cities to neutralize the drugs’ scourged there.