PNP won’t abolish special anti-drug units

MANILA, Philippines — The planned abolition of the Philippine National Police-Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG)’s special operations units or SOUs will no longer push through, PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda announced yesterday. 

Acorda said they would focus on a stricter vetting process for anti-narcotics officers instead of abolishing the SOUs.

“We have finished studying the proposal. We saw different aspects of the problem,” Acorda told reporters. “The problem is not with the anti-drug units, but the personnel. So what we want to do is continuous monitoring and background investigation of police officers to make sure that their paths will be straight.”

The PDEG has been embroiled in drug-related controversies, including an alleged cover-up of a sting in Manila in October last year, which resulted in the confiscation of P6.7 billion worth of shabu and the arrest of former M/Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr.

PDEG director Brig. Gen. Faro Olaguera described Acorda’s decision to retain the SOUs as a “welcome development.” 

“We will humbly submit to the wisdom of our chief PNP,” Olaguera said. 

As of yesterday, Olaguera said 117 PDEG personnel had been relieved from their posts. 

“The relieved anti-narcotics agents are undergoing lifestyle check,” he said. 

Olaguera said he would conduct a revamp of PDEG personnel in the coming days to avoid familiarization.