(File photo)
MANILA – Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. on Monday cited the need to ensure quality drug cases to ensure the conviction of culprits.
"It's proof beyond reasonable doubt. That is the evidence that we need to stand in court. If there are doubts, those cases are dismissed. We all know that. So what we need here are quality cases. Importante lahat ng ebidensya (It is important that all pieces of evidence) will really stand up in court. Not the quantity, hindi yung maramihan nga na puro dismiss (we don't need many cases only for these to be dismissed)," he said during flag-raising rites at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame.
Abalos said he also plans to raise funds to assist police officers who face intimidation from drug personalities through baseless lawsuits.
“I know you have already experienced this. We are standing up against billionaires who benefit from this illegal industry but we will not back down because the future of our children, grandchildren, and our nation is at stake. I will not allow our police to be demoralized. I will come up with a system to raise funds for them," Abalos added.
Abalos added that he will come to the defense of honest arresting police officers who will be harassed by influential persons involved in illegal activities.
He added that cooperation between various government and law enforcement agencies is needed to wipe out the drug menace.
“This war against drugs is really very difficult. There are other countries and many countries I see there are other countries that are really struggling in this battle. Even their own institutions are already corrupted by this narco problem so are the This time, we need to work hand in hand not only we but also inter-agency,” Abalos stressed.
The DILG chief, meanwhile, said he is looking at the possibility of assigning permanent employees at the Fiscal's Offices to act as Department of Justice (DOJ) representatives in drug cases.
He made this comment after noting that many drug cases are dismissed due to the technicality due the lack of witnesses.
Abalos said during the term of his wife Menchie as Mandaluyong City mayor, an employee from the local government was assigned at the Fiscal’s Office to be the DOJ representative in all drug raids.
Abalos said the official duty of the employee is to testify in the Prosecutor’s Office “and in doing so’’, the law's witness requirement in the inventory of the seized illegal drugs is satisfied and few cases are dismissed.
Meanwhile, a ranking police official requested all police commanders to coordinate with local government unit (LGU) chiefs in their anti-drug campaign.
Maj. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, PNP director for operations, said this is to ensure that there would be airtight cases that would be filed in every anti-illegal drug operation undertaken by the police force.
"Iisa lang naman ang pangarap nating lahat. Ang maging safe ang bawat daan at komunidad sa droga at para maproteksyunan ang mga kabataan na kalimitan ay siyang nalululong sa ipinagbabawal na gamot (We all have only one dream. To make every road and community safe from drugs and to protect young people who are often addicted to drugs), " he added.
De Leon said that he would check on the chiefs of police himself and keep the PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. updated regularly.
He is also confident of turning the illegal drugs problem in the country at least to an insignificant level in the next six years of the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.
“Our program is more focused on the awareness, monitoring, and education of those being rehabilitated before they are integrated back into the community. Once this is presented to our SILG (Secretary of the Interior and Local Government), I believe he will give some instructions relating to this,” de Leon said. (PNA)
