Joint RP-US training to boost anti-drug trafficking efforts

Filipino and American law enforcers will start a four-week joint training course in Davao City on Monday to boost their efforts against drug trafficking in Asia. Dubbed “Baker Piston," the training course is part of the United States’ Asia-wide program to help improve effectiveness in counter-drug operations like investigations and raids. “Our Philippine counter-drug professionals appreciate intensive training in order to strengthen the effectiveness of our anti-drug operations and enhance our ability to work jointly with other law enforcement and security agencies," a statement from the US Embassy in Manila quoted Wilkins Viullanueva, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) regional director as saying. Villanueva said that the training course will lead to increased arrests and prosecutions of the drug dealers who threaten children, families, and barangays throughout the country. Tim Teal, Country Attaché of the US-Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) said the program has proven extremely successful over the past few years. He said the course is a hands-on application of skills and tactics that counter-drug professionals need to be successful in a rural environment. It teaches techniques of communicating, maneuvering, and shooting to help them to conduct safe and effective joint operations. “This is the second Baker program we have sponsored in Davao, and the fourth that has been conducted in the Philippines. The previous locations were Zamboanga City and Baguio," Teal said. “The U.S. Government is dedicated to assisting our partners in fighting drug producers and traffickers who harm the well-being of their innocent citizens," he added. At least 40 Filipino police officers, counter-drug agents, and military personnel will attend the four-week intensive training course sponsored by the US government. These include members of the PDEA, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and National Bureau of Investigation. Baker Piston will include sessions on human rights awareness, cordon and search techniques, special reconnaissance, land navigation, medical procedures, advanced marksmanship, small unit tactics in urban terrain, mission planning, trail interdiction, and movement techniques. It features US counter-drug experts and military trainers and will all be held at the classroom and shooting range of Philippine Public Safety College Regional Training Center 11. There will also be small group sessions for managers and leaders on instructor training and training management, and international drug situation briefings for all attendees. “(It aims to) lead to successful prosecutions of drug traffickers. It also gives participants a rare opportunity to participate in multi-agency exercises and develop contacts in other agencies," the Embassy statement said. Sponsoring the program are the US DEA and the US Joint Inter-Agency Task Force (JIATF) West.-GMANews.TV