Police say 800 contract killings blamed on drug war

PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Ronald Dela Rosa said Sunday, December 17, that of the over 10,000 deaths under investigation (DUI) since the administration started its war on drugs, 800 were found to be contract killings that were not drugrelated.

Dela Rosa said these 800 killings involved hired hitmen. Among the motives were family feud, love triangle, land dispute and other personal grudges.

“’Yong mga tao na ‘yan sumasakay ‘yan, sumasakay sa ating war on drugs, ‘yong mga personal nilang atraso, ‘yong mga gun-for-hire, sinasabay nila. Kaya nga talagang dapat matutukan natin na hindi dapat tayo masabayan,” he said.

“’Yong panahon kasi ng war on drugs, doon sila kinabit doon sa allegedly EJK (extrajudicial killings) na ‘yan, sinasabay nila doon sa counting pero later on nung pag-conduct ng investigation, hindi ito drug-related, iba ‘yung motives sa pagpatay, hindi related sa drugs,” he added.

The PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) earlier said from July 2016 to October 18, 2017, there were a total of 10,354 deaths under investigation.

However, in a separate interview, Dela Rosa said 2,500 of those deaths under investigation have been resolved and not all were found to be related to the anti-illegal drugs campaign.

“Namatay during war on drugs dinagdag sa war on drugs but actually not related, ‘yun ang na-establish sa investigation,” he said.

The PNP is again allowed to conduct anti-illegal drugs operations in cooperation with the Philippine Drug enforcement Agency (PDEA) after nearly two months of suspension due to several erring cops who took advantage of the campaign for their own gain.

Dela Rosa assured that the PNP will do its best to make their comeback to the war on drugs less bloody, starting with the strict selection of the personnel who would be part of the Drug Enforcement Group, the only unit authorized to conduct anti-illegal drugs operations.

He said they were also modifying their anti-illegal drugs operational plan to promote transparency and ensure the safety of the public and their men during operations.

Although Dela Rosa reiterated that they still do not have control over the minds of the criminals who may engage policemen in a gunfight which may lead to their death, he said they will still observe extra caution in their operations.