PNP purging scalawags from anti-drug unit

MANILA, Philippines — The purging of scalawags within the Philippine National Police’s premier anti-narcotics unit is underway, a PNP official said yesterday.

Col. Marlou Martinez, deputy director for administration of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group, said 97 police officers under PDEG were relieved from their posts following a background investigation into allegations of wrongdoing.

“Kung may konting bahid ayon sa background investigation na ginagawa natin, then you will be relieved from PDEG,” Martinez said.

The PDEG currently has 1,304 police officers, he added.

The administrative relief of police scalawags was among the steps instituted by PDEG director Brig. Gen. Faro Antonio Olaguera, who assumed leadership of the unit last month.

The PDEG has been embroiled in controversy after some of its officers and personnel were accused of irregularities in the seizure of 990 kilos of shabu worth P6.7 billion in Tondo, Manila in October last year.

PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. has embarked on a mission to rid the PDEG and other drug enforcement units (DEUs) across the country of corrupt police officers.

Speaking to reporters in an interview yesterday, Acorda said they have started screening the personnel of all their anti-narcotics units.

“What we are doing now is really conducting vetting on all these drug enforcement units,” he said.

Acorda said the proposal to dissolve the PDEG’s special operations units (SOUs) is still under study.

Police officers from the PDEG’s SOUs in Metro Manila and Calabarzon were among those under investigation for reported anomalies in the Tondo operation.

Duterte: Massive corruption in PNP

Meanwhile, former president Rodrigo Duterte said that while he “is not in the position to assess, we have a very serious, massive corruption problem going on in our police force.”

He added that if the chief of police is corrupt, then the subordinates are likely to be corrupt as well.

Duterte and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, a former PNP chief, are among those under investigation by the International Criminal Court for the extrajudicial killings in the war on illegal drugs launched during the former president’s term.

Duterte said while most police officers are “good, honest, hardworking,” some are “stupid, shameless policemen. The general down to the patrolman is involved.”

He also said some police officers receive money from politicians and do dirty work for them.

“The problem with these idiots, you cops, scumbags, you use them in politics, even when you are ordered to kill his opponent, you obey,” Duterte said. –  Edith Regalado