Anti-hijacking task force activated

Philippine National Police chief Director General Arturo Lomibao activated yesterday the Anti-Hijacking Task Force after armed men took P300,000 worth of integrated circuits from a Federal Express van in Dasmariñas, Cavite on Dec. 17.

STAR publisher Max Soliven wrote about the robbery in his column "By The Way."

Lomibao named Deputy Director General Avelino Razon Jr., PNP deputy chief for operations, to head the task force, while the deputy commander will be Chief Superintendent Augusto Angcanan, Traffic Management Group director.

"The main goal of the task force is to come up with an order of battle of the 20 most wanted hijackers and keep tab on other groups and personalities engaged in hijacking," he said.

Last Monday, Lomibao presided over a coordinating conference to draw up the staff organization that would comprise the special task force and the role of other PNP units.

Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, PNP spokesman, said representatives from the trucking and cargo industry, and some corporate executives from multi-national corporations attended the conference.

Bataoil said the Anti-Hijacking Task Force will do the following:

• Convene an order of battle workshop to identify the 20 most wanted hijackers and keep tabs on other groups and personalities engaged in hijacking.

• Make an inventory of the status of pending hijacking cases.

• Assign two lawyers from the PNP Legal Service to assist the special task force in the prosecution of cases.

• Maintain a data base of truck drivers and helpers from truckers’ associations.

• Coordinate with the Insurance Commission, and the management of the North and South Luzon Expressways and cargo-forwarding firms.