ACTAFP head targets scalawags in uniform

The commanding officer of the newly formed Anti-Crime Task Force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ACTAFP) didn’t have to look far to find his priority target: hoodlums in uniform.

ACTAFP commander Army Lt. Col. Antonio Supnet said the campaign against heinous crimes should start from the ranks of the law enforcers themselves, who should have the untainted reputation and dedication to duty and the people they are sworn to protect.

"Being in government, they are supposed to serve the people, but they are giving the uniformed service and the government a bad image. These are the guys I really want to go after," Supnet said.

He lamented that it was not uncommon to hear former soldiers and policemen, or even those still in active service, being involved in heinous crimes such as armed robbery and kidnapping.

He pointed out that financial difficulty is no excuse to violate the law. "They know that the pay of a soldier or policeman is low, so they should have not entered the service."

Based at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, ACTAFP is a small unit of a few chosen men from the three major services of the military.

Created only last March 29, the unit is composed of 15 officers and 141 enlisted personnel from elite units of the AFP. These are the Army’s Scout Rangers and Special Forces, the Navy’s Special Warfare Group, the Marine Force Reconnaissance and the Air Force’s Special Wing.

"My men are all highly professional and disciplined. I can vouch for their dedication to duty. You can fully trust them with your lives," Supnet said.

"They have the right training, the right attitude," he added.

Apart from combat, training also included rules of engagement, legal procedures, human rights and anti-drug operations.

The unit’s intensive and specialized training was matched with the best equipment and firepower, with bomb sniffing dogs to boot.

Among the unit’s elements were explosives and ordnance experts, medical personnel, operatives from the Intelligence Service of the AFP and lawyers from the military’s Judge Advocate General Service.

This early, ACTAFP is already conducting surveillance operations on a number of criminal syndicates, among them big-time drug traffickers who were allegedly plotting a series of kidnappings for ransom and bank robberies.

Although created as a support unit of the regular law enforcement agencies, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the task force, because of its expertise, is expected to take the lead role in rescuing kidnap victims and neutralizing criminal syndicates.

However, ACTAFP will be mobilized only with the presence of the PNP or the NBI, and only upon authorization by the AFP chief of staff.

For the time being, the task force will operate only within Metro Manila, but may eventually be allowed to have a wider playing field.

Supnet said he is satisfied with the strength of his unit, but added they might need more equipment.

"My superiors are very, very supportive," he averred.

Despite being a soldier for over 20 years, Supnet is not entirely alien to crime-fighting.

During his stints as intelligence officer and commander of the 56th Infantry Battalion in 1995, his unit was often tapped to raid huge marijuana plantations in the Ifugao region.

Supnet is also a lawyer, having passed the Bar in 1991. He also took up VIP Protection Course, Scout Ranger Course, Security Intelligence Course and Dangerous Drugs Control Course.

He was also adjutant and personnel officer of the defunct Presidential Security Command in 1980 under the watch of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

He was once commander of the Army’s Security and Escort Group at Fort Bonifacio in Makati City.

Prior to his appointment to head ACTAFP, Supnet was assistant chief of staff for intelligence of the military’s Southern Command based in Zamboanga City.

Asked if ACTAFP would not overlap with the functions of the regular police units, Supnet countered: "In fighting crime, overlaps are better."