Dela Rosa dissolves PNP anti-drugs unit

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa disbanded Monday the police anti-drugs group following orders by President Rodrigo Duterte after the kidnap-slay of a Korean businessman allegedly by anti-narcotics lawmen.

Dela Rosa announced the dissolution of the PNP-Anti-illegal Drugs Group (AIDG) in a speech following flag-raising ceremonies at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame.

In a press conference late Sunday evening, Duterte vowed a “cleansing” of the police ranks some of whom he said abused their power by kidnapping and killing Korean businessman  Jee Ick-Joo inside the national police headquarters.

The chief executive admitted that he was mortified by the incident that raised concern among foreign nationals living in the Philippines.

“They could have killed, strangled him everywhere, anywhere but they say it had to happen inside the Camp Crame, is really bad, we admit that. Something has to be corrected severely,” the president said.

Despite issues hounding his flagship anti-narcotics campaign, Duterte announced that he would continue his war on drugs until the end of his term in 2022. His crackdown has killed more than 7,000 people since he assumed office on June 30 last year.  

Duterte also announced that he plans to create a “narco-police” unit under the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) that would specifically target cops involved in illegal drugs.

Dela Rosa admitted that this disbandment would disrupt their illegal drugs campaign but conceded that this step was necessary.

Dela Rosa earlier offered to resign from the PNP following the scandal which is now the subject of a Senate investigation. However, Duterte refused this and said that the country’s top cop still had his trust.

The PNP is currently engulfed by a serious scandal after police from the anti-illegal drugs unit allegedly kidnapped Jee from his home in Pampanga. Initial reports said that he was subsequently brought to Camp Crame where he was killed by his captors several meters away from the offices and official residence of the PNP chief.

Duterte, a long-time mayor of Davao City located south of Manila, campaigned and won on a platform that vowed a vigorous program against illegal drugs in the country. He has since been criticized by local and international groups for alleged human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, committed in the name of his anti-drugs crackdown. Police have blamed such killings on vigilantes and war among members of drug syndicates.