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[av_heading heading=’PNP girds for internal cleansing; drug war takes a back seat’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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Tuesday, January 31, 2017
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ILOILO City – Due to scalawags in the ranks of the Philippine National Police, Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has suspended indefinitely the police’s war on drugs.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is taking over the campaign, according to Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
“I dissolved the Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, all anti-drug units from the national, local to the police station level,” Dela Rosa announced in a press conference in Camp Crame, Quezon City yesterday, citing a series of police involvement in the illegal drug trade and planting of evidence during antidrug operations.
Gorero, however, clarified that the police will still help PDEA by acting as “supporting units.”
“We could no longer spearhead antidrug operations but we are still the supporting units of PDEA, the lead agency. We will not stop our campaign, we will still help them,” said Gorero.
He also said antidrug barangay-clearing operations in Western Visayas will continue.
Gorero won’t confirm or deny the presence of scalawags in the PRO-6 but said there will be unannounced drug tests to catch those into the destructive vice.
The PRO-6 will also be subjecting policemen to lifestyle checks, Gorero said.
“Our PNP chief and our President are serious in cleansing the Philippine National Police. The PRO-6 is ready for it,” said Gorero.
Dela Rosa said President Rodrigo Duterte ordered him to stop temporarily the war on drugs and instead the PNP should focus on its “internal cleansing.”
“We are under the Executive Department. We take orders from the President,” he said.
A counter-intelligence task force, whose only mandate is to hunt down the police scalawags, will be created, he revealed.
The counter-intelligence task force will be composed of 100 PNP personnel which will initially operate in Metro Manila and Luzon area.
Dela Rosa said the “war against police scalawags” will be as intense as the campaign against illegal drugs.
But he clarified: “Not all the PNP antidrug units are bad people. There are only a few bad eggs but not all.”
The directive of President Duterte to temporarily stop the police’s “war on drugs” was prompted by the kidnapping and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo last October. This was allegedly perpetrated by a syndicate of rogue policemen.
“Sabi ni Presidente, we need drastic action and this is the drastic action we are taking right now, dissolved silang lahat,” said Dela Rosa.
The South Korean businessman was allegedly abducted in Angeles City, Pampanga and subsequently killed inside Camp Crame on Oct. 18, 2016.
After the war against police scalawags, the campaign against illegal drugs will resume, said Dela Rosa. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
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