Muntinlupa mayor worries over PNP handling of drug suspects

MANILA, Philippines — Despite his support for the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs, a Metro Manila mayor is concerned about how policemen are handling drug suspects.

Muntinlupa City Mayor Jaime Fresnedi claimed in a television interview that the crime rate in his jurisdiction significantly went down, but somehow doubted the means of how lawmen are handling drug cases.

“Kung sasabihin natin yung krimen talaga, masasabi nating malaki ang binaba. Hindi natin masasabi ang pamamaraan ng kapulisan lahat ay tama,” Fresnedi said on GMA News TV’s News To Go on Monday.

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“Maraming natakot na kabataan na nasa watch list ng ating kapulisan tungkol sa ginagawa ng ating kapulisan,” he added.

Fresnedi, who ran under the Liberal Party in the recent national election, said the number of suspects who allegedly fought it out with arresting police officers is “alarming.”

“Under custody na ng kapulisan and yet after a few minutes, maririnig natin sila ay nanlaban at napatay. Parang hindi na rin kapanipaniwala na ang naka-handcuff na nahuli ay gagamit ng baril para manlaban,” the Muntinlupa mayor said.

He called on the leadership of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to look into how policemen treat drug suspects as different human rights groups raise concerns against drug-related killings.

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“Siguro dapat itong tingnang mabuti ng kapulisan at ahensya upang talaga namang maging katanggap-tanggap ang magiging resulta ng operations against anti-drug program ng ating government. Dahil very alarming na rin ang sitwasyon sa bansa,” the fifth term mayor said.

“I do hope the leadership of the PNP ay tatanggapin ng maluwag na dapat reviewhin ang pamamaraan ng paghuhuli at dapat reviewhin ang pang aabuso kung may nangyayari sa mga stations sa bansa,” he added.

Around 1,700 drug suspects already surrendered to Muntinlupa authorities via “Oplan Tokhang” of the PNP where officers knock door to door of every house to convince drug traffickers to turn themselves over, according to Fresnedi.