PNP reaffirms support to gov’t anti-drug war
PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa said they will focus on internal cleansing and on their anti-criminality campaign
The PNP and the AFP reaffirmed yesterday their commitment to the government’s war against illegal drugs.
PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa ensured on Friday that all police stations have direct lines to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) so they can immediately report incidents involving illegal drugs.
In a memorandum signed on Oct. 10, President Rodrigo Duterte instructed the PNP to let the PDEA handle all the operations concerning the drug menace, as provided by Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (Republic Act 9165).
Dela Rosa, in accordance to the order, dissolved the PNP’s drug enforcement units in the police stations but noted that the police can still make arrest particularly if illegal drugs transactions are happening in front of them.
“We will call the PDEA to report that there is illegal drugs transaction here. We cannot conduct operations but when a crime is being committed before your presence you have to act on it, arrest them and endorse it to PDEA,” he said.
Dela Rosa said they will focus on internal cleansing and their anti-criminality campaign.
He said as their drug enforce- ment group will have a lesser work load, they will order them to help the Criminal Intelligence Task Force to conduct operations against police scalawags.
Dela Rosa said that even before they edged out of the government’s war on drugs, the PNP’s communication with the PDEA was always available.
He urged the public and the local government officials to help the PDEA and immediately report to them illegal drugs transactions considering that they only have at least 1,000 personnel.
“You can imagine the vacuum that we will be leaving behind. Right now we have 185,000 policemen dedicated to the war on drugs and then suddenly we’ll back off. The 1,700 personnel of PDEA including the administrative personnel will be left behind. There will really be a huge vacuum,” he said.
Dela Rosa said that based on records, there are at least 4,000 erring policemen.
“Binabasehan namin ‘yung mga nasa listahan ng mga pulis na suspected to be involved in anomalies at saka ‘yung mga facing administrative charges, mga nakasuhan at ‘yung mga na-convict na gumawa ng kalokohan (We got the figures from a list of cops who are suspected to be involved in anomalies and those who are facing administrative charges, those who were sued, and convicted),” he said.
AFP public affairs office chief. Col. Edgard Arevalo, in a statement, said: “The AFP has always been supporting the PDEA, PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation in any illegal drugs operations unless we are otherwise requested to lead especially in conflict-affected areas.”
In February, the AFP and the PDEA signed a memorandum of agreement to strengthen anti-narcotics operations in conflict areas, particularly where conditions for insurgency and terrorism are prevalent. The military also expanded the Joint Counterintelligence Task Force ( JCTF) NOAH, an ad hoc unit created and mandated by the AFP to conduct drugs-related counterintelligence operations.
NOAH assists law enforcement agencies in the identification, investigation, and neutralization of persons in the use, sale, manufacture, and distribution of illegal drugs.
The military has also formed regional task groups under its unified commands to coordinate direct action, intelligence, legal support, and community relations to PDEA, as force employer, and its regional offices nationwide.