PRESIDENT Duterte has appointed a retired police officer as the new director general of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to replace (ret) Gen. Aaron Aquino.
Wilkins Villanueva, PDEA’s director for Northern Mindanao, posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday his appointment paper dated May 22.
Villanueva, who retired from the PNP in 2009 with a rank of superintendent, previously served with the now-defunct PNP Narcotics Group. He is a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1988.
In a statement, Aquino thanked President Duterte “for his trust and confidence and for giving me the opportunity to serve our people and his administration.”
“I also thank the men and women of PDEA for their support to my leadership and dedication to the agency. Thank you for the honor of serving as the 6th Director General of PDEA,” said Aquino.
Aquino did not say in the statement why he was replaced as PDEA chief.
Aquino had a run-in with Vice President Robredo last year after her brief stint as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Task Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs, particularly in the campaign against illegal drugs.
PDEA spokesman Derrick Carreon, in a message to reporters, said: “Outgoing DG Aquino did not step down. He was relieved and shall be succeeded by incoming DG Wilkins Villanueva.”
“We all know that movement in key positions in government offices is the sole prerogative of the President. In this case, outgoing DG Aquino will be assuming another position in the bureaucracy but we are not at liberty to disclose further details.”
Villanueva served as PDEA-National Capital Region director before being appointed as head of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service in 2017. He served with the customs bureau for only three months and was sent back to PDEA.
“After almost two decades of serving our country on the field of drug enforcement, through different capacities and positions both with PNP Narcotics Group and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, I finally achieved what I was aiming for… Director General of PDEA,” said Villanueva.
He thanked the President “for giving me his trust and confidence to lead our country’s war on drugs.” He added: “I will never fail you Mr. President.”
Villanueva also thanked Senator Bong Go and Ronald Dela Rosa, a former PNP chief, for their “encouragement and support” and said that their support “really matters a lot.”
“The war on drugs continues,” Villanueva said.
