A TOTAL of 67 foreigners were apprehended in Davao Region since January this year, as intelligence agencies ramped up joint surveillance to counter foreign interference and transnational crimes.
Officials from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency convened at Camp Sgt. Quintin M. Merecido on Friday, Nov. 13, for the fourth-quarter validation workshop of the Joint AFP-PNP-PCG Intelligence Committee (JAPPIC) XI.
While the region remains insurgency-free, security officials noted that inter-agency intelligence sharing is increasingly shifting toward external threats—specifically environmental scanning to detect and counter Foreign Interference and Malign Influence (FIMI).
The coordination among the military, police, coast guard, and intelligence units resulted in the arrest of foreign nationals reportedly involved in 17 illegal incidents within the 10th Infantry Division’s area of responsibility.
10ID commander MGEN Alvin Luzon, who was received with arrival honors by Police Regional Office XI director PBGEN Benigno Guzman, warned security forces against letting their guard down now that internal insurgency threats have subsided.
“We must not become complacent with the gains we have achieved. Sustaining peace and stability requires continuous vigilance, timely and evidence-based assessments, and proactive collaboration among all concerned agencies,” Luzon said during the workshop at Pulis Bagani Hall.
Luzon urged intelligence officers to move beyond routine administrative reporting and translate validated data into actionable field recommendations.
“The strength of our collective efforts lies not in what each agency accomplishes independently, but in how we work together towards a common purpose,” he added, noting that harmonizing verified information across agencies with distinct mandates is critical to upholding the rule of law and protecting Davao communities.
