Sweeping reforms urged in PNP, PDEA

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos should initiate sweeping reforms in the country’s law enforcement sector in light of recent allegations of corruption and abuses of Philippine National Police (PNP) officers in the anti-drug campaign of former president Rodrigo Duterte which were revealed at the House of Representatives’ quad comm hearings, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said yesterday.

In a statement, HRW deputy Asia director Bryony Lau said Marcos should also institute reforms in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, a key police partner in the anti-drug campaign.

He added the Chief Executive must ensure the government cooperates with the International Criminal Court’s investigation on the extrajudicial killings under Duterte’s watch.

Lau said the testimony at the quad comm brought to light the “murderous” police infrastructure during the Duterte presidency. Among these is the supposed reward system within the PNP for every drug suspect killed by police officers, with the reward ranging from P20,000 to P1 million.

There were also allegations of government officials killed by rogue police officers. Among them are former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board secretary Wesley Barayuga, who was killed in an ambush in Mandaluyong City in July 2020. The following month, his name was included in Duterte’s narco list.

Lau said government institutions and resources were harnessed during Duterte’s presidency to enforce his “murderous” war on drugs and undermine critics of his policy.

He said the Department of the Interior and Local Government should investigate allegations of police misconduct and cooperate with the justice department in the filing of criminal cases.

As a start, Lau said Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla should rescind internal PNP circulars for the drug war, particularly Oplan Double Barrel, Duterte’s police anti-drug campaign.

Remulla should also give more power and authority to the PNP Internal Affairs Service to investigate and address serious abuses by police officers, Lau said.

Rights group Karapatan, for its part, criticized Duterte’s first PNP chief, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, for calling a motu proprio investigation of the drug war in the Senate to counter the quad comm hearings.

Karapatan deputy secretary general Maria Sol Taule questioned how Dela Rosa can exercise fairness and impartiality when he was the chief implementer of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.