DILG Sec. Benjamin Abalos Jr. —Arnel Tacson/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Indonesia have agreed to institutionalize police force cooperation and similar initiatives following the arrest of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo (Guo Hua Ping) , Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said on Saturday.
According to Abalos, the Philippine and Indonesian police forces have agreed to enforce exchange of operations in dealing with the common issues the two nations are facing, such as arresting criminals and protecting the borders.
READ: Indonesia deports Alice Guo
“Iyong nangyari sa Indonesia, you know Alice Guo, is just one case, but there are a lot of other criminals that can go through this path, kaya nag-usap kami ng Indonesian police na iyong ginawa namin na ganito, police to police ito ay magiging institutionalized na (What happened in Indonesia, you know, with Alice Guo, is just one case, but there are a lot of other criminals who can go through this path, that’s why we talked with the Indonesian police that we should have this institutionalized.),” Abalos said in a news forum.
It was the Indonesian police that arrested Guo on Wednesday.
She is facing human trafficking charges and other complaints for her alleged ties with illegal offshore gaming activities.
“Iyong cooperation na ito, iyong pagtutulungan natin—kasi sila namumroblema rin, malaki iyong border nila sa tubig, tayo malaking border natin sa tubig at iilan lamang ang bangka natin, iilan lamang ang ating mga helicopter to patrol, so magkakaroon ng parang pag-uusap, exchange of information, exchange of operations ‘no, so iyon po ang napagkasunduan namin (Their borders are vast, and so are ours. We don’t have enough patrol vessels and helicopters, so there will be exchange of information and operation. That’s what we agreed on.),” Abalos added.
Abalos added “this will be the start of something big” because both countries face common problems such as going after illegal drugs and smuggling.