In an interview with reporters during his inspection at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, Marcos said they aim to cleanse the police rank and ensure that those who will remain are working for the government and the people and not for the drug syndicates.
“We were planning this for a while, let me be very clear, remember during the campaign nung tinanatanong ako tungkol sa (when I was asked about the) drug war, sa drug problem, this is it. We approach it in an entirely different way,” he said.
“Alam naman natin na ‘yung problema sa drugs hindi mangyayari yan kung hindi kasabwat ang mga iba jan sa pulis kaya kailangan natin na tignan ng mabuti sino ba talaga ang kasabwat jan sino ba talaga ang involve at sinong hindi na talaga pwedeng magserbisyo dahil associated na sila sa mga drugs lord,” he added.
(We know that the problem with drugs will not happen if the others are not in cahoots with the police. We need to take a good look at who is really in cahoots with them, who is really involved and who can no longer serve because they are already associated with the drug lords.)
Marcos said following the evaluation, which will be conducted by the five-man committee, those who will be found to have links with the illegal drugs trade will be charged.
“Titiyakin natin na kung magkakaso tayo, ipapanalo natin at patunayan na talagang kasabwat sila,” he said.
(We will make sure that if we do have a case, we will win and prove that they are indeed conspirators.)
On Tuesday, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. appealed to all full-fledged police colonels and generals to submit their courtesy resignation, noting that after months of studying the country’s problem on illegal drugs, it appears that several police officials were actually involved in it.
He said this came especially following the arrest of Police Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo Jr., a member of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group’s Special Operations Unit in the National Capital Region, who yielded P13.6 million worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride inside his lending company office in Quiapo, Manila.
PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin earlier revealed that two police officers were under investigation for allegedly sneaking out bags of shabu from the 990 kilos recovered from Ney Saligumba Atadero who pointed to Mayo as his source of illegal drugs.
He also said that two police generals were under probe over their links to Mayo.
Azurin said the two police officials were placed on floating status, although no sufficient evidence against them has been identified so far.
On Thursday, January 5, Azurin said there were less than 10 police officials under the ranks of colonels and generals who are on their list for alleged involvement in illegal drugs. (SunStar Philippines)