4 mayors on drug list lose police escorts

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga – The police escorts of four mayors recently stripped of control over the police due to their alleged drug links have been recalled.

Chief Superintendent Amador Corpus, Central Luzon police director, said police officers assigned to Mayor Ed Pamintuan of Angeles, Pampanga returned to their original units while those of Mayors Andy Lacson of Concepcion and Erlon Agustin of Camiling, both in Tarlac, were deployed at other stations needing additional personnel.

The escorts of Mayor Jay Khionghun of Subic, Zambales were assigned to the personnel holding unit of the Central Luzon police.

Corpus said the reassignments were in compliance with the resolutions of the National Police Commission withdrawing the deputation of the mayors and aimed at ensuring an impartial investigation into the allegations against the local chief executives.

Five other mayors of Southern Tagalog, five of Misamis Occidental, four of Mindanao, two of Palawan and one each of Ilocos Norte, Cebu and Misamis Oriental lost operational supervision and control over policemen based on a report of an interagency intelligence validation group.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Philippine National Police Directorate for Intelligence, Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and National Intelligence Coordinating Council comprise the interagency group.

The mayors on the list have denied the allegations, which they dismissed as politically motivated.