Binay to open law enforcement conference

MANILA, Philippines -  Senior law enforcement professionals from over 20 countries are set to take part in a five-day training in Manila starting today to tackle programs on strengthening the rule of law worldwide.

Vice President Jejomar Binay will lead the opening rites of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy Associates (FBINAA) 14th Asia Pacific Training Conference today at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Manila.

The steering committee chaired by Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr., director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said they had progressed ahead of schedule through every stage of the planning and preparation process.

Pagdilao said the FBINAA is the strongest law enforcement leadership network in the world dedicated to strengthening the rule of law worldwide.

Its membership is limited to those law enforcement leaders who have completed the FBI’s prestigious National Academy Program.

He noted that the Manila FBINAA Training Conference, with the theme “Meeting the Challenges of Global Security: A Regional Perspective,” aims to update participants on the emerging trends and forces that impact global security and to promote and advance cooperation and collaboration among law enforcement agencies in addressing security challenges such as terrorist threats and human trafficking and other transnational crimes in the region.

Pagdilao pointed out that the training conference also aims to strengthen the commitment of the graduates of the FBI National Academy towards a shared advocacy for peace and security in the Asia-Pacific Region and across the globe.

Some 300 FBINAA members from over 20 countries from the Asia Pacific Region and across the globe are expected to participate in the five-day reunion-training, the first training conference of the Asia Pacific chapter to be held in Manila.

Pagdilao said this year’s training conference is hosted by the FBINAA Philippine sub-chapter headed by FBINAA Asia-Pacific president, NBI Director Magtanggol Gatdula, with the participation of more than 200 senior law enforcement personnel from abroad.

He added that some 100 participants from the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation, who were graduates of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, will participate in the training.

Pagdilao said their special guests include US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr., FBI Assistant Director Joseph Demarest, FBINAA president Commander Matt Raia and 2nd vice president Doug Muldoon, US Legal Attaché to the Philippines James Nixon, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, and PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo.

Every year, the international chapters of the FBINAA convene their members for refresher training, with previous conferences held in Australia’s Gold Coast, Bali, Indonesia, and most recently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.