THE near encounter early this month between members of the Antieconomic Crimes Task Force (AECTF) of the National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and members of the Presidential Antismuggling Group (PASG) will not stop the unit from running after smugglers.

Supt. Eliseo Rasco, AECTF deputy chief, said the unit would instead intensify its operations against smuggling and other economic crimes in the police’s effort to help the government generate additional funds.

“Smuggling hurts the economy in many ways,” Rasco said, as he noted the government has been losing billions of pesos in uncollected revenues owing to such activities.

He justified the task force’s operation against smugglers, saying that the group is mandated to implement the drive and that antismuggling is among the campaigns of the CIDG director, Chief Supt. Raul Castañeda.

“It is the mandate of the National Police to combat criminality, including smuggling. The newly installed CIDG director, Chief Supt. Raul Castañeda has a track record to show that he was able to help minimize smuggling activities when the Antismuggling Intelligence and Investigation Center under the Office of the President was created in 2002,” he said.

On April 9, a team of CIDG-AECTF agents nearly figured in a shootout with members of the PASG near South Harbor, in Manila, after it was prevented from checking on a reported smuggling activity.

Rasco said the task force received a tip that misdeclared items were due to arrive onboard nine container vans at the South Harbor, but PASG agents headed by a certain Senior Insp. Jaucian tried to prevent the team from carrying out its work.

According to the report that reached the AECTF, the nine vans were containing “granulated sugar” instead of soya beans as legally reported by the importer.

ADB’s 2007 loans highest in 41 years

THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved loans totaling $10.1 billion last year, or a 36-percent increase over the total approved in 2006. It is the highest in the bank’s 41-year history.

OMBUDSMAN Merceditas Gutierrez on Monday approved the filing of criminal and administrative charges against two city mayors and 19 other government officials in connection with the controversial lamppost project in Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu cities.

THE Philippine Medical Association (PMA) has appealed to the health department to pursue the investigation into the rectal surgery scandal at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City.

THE command judge advocate of the Army recommended on Monday the trial by general court martial of a division commander and a sergeant for violations of the Articles of War.

A TAIWANESE who allegedly runs a big-time drug trafficking operations in the country has been arrested by a joint team of drug-enforcement agents in Parañaque City over the weekend.

THE National Police chief, Director General Avelino Razon Jr., on Monday branded as a “demolition job” the claim that the police were behind the interview last week of a man claiming he was renegade Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon on television.

THE near encounter early this month between members of the Antieconomic Crimes Task Force (AECTF) of the National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and members of the Presidential Antismuggling Group (PASG) will not stop the unit from running after smugglers.