Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert "Ace" Barbers and Santa Rosa Lone District Rep. Dan Fernandez (PNA file photo)
MANILA – House Committee on Dangerous Drugs and Surigao Del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert “Ace” Barbers on Thursday expressed full support to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos’ call asking all top-ranked police officials to submit courtesy resignation as part of efforts to weed out scalawags.
“As chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, I am in full support of DILG Secretary Abalos’ call to “cleanse” the ranks of senior police officers who may have been “infected” or involved in the illegal drug trade,” Barbers said in a statement.
The DILG chief earlier asked police officers with ranks of full colonel to general to tender their courtesy resignation. A five-member committee will then evaluate their records. Resignation of those who will be found to have links with the illegal drug trade will be accepted.
Barbers said that while there is no concrete evidence that would directly link senior police officers to the illegal drug trade, it is an “open secret” that some members of law enforcement are involved in drugs.
Then President Rodrigo Duterte, whose anti-drug campaign was one of his administration’s key programs, had even identified top officials of the PNP involved in the illegal drug trade.
“Hindi natin nilalahat at alam natin na kaunti lang na police officers and maaring pasok sa illegal drug trade. At sa tingin ko, tama lang ang hakbang na tinatahak ni DILG Sec. Abalos upang linisin ang hanay ng ating kapulisan laban sa illegal na droga (We are not making a sweeping accusation here because we know there are only a few of our police officers who maybe into illegal drug trade. And I think that the step taken by DILG Sec. Abalos to cleanse the ranks of our police officers is just right),” he added.
Santa Rosa Lone District Rep. Dan Fernandez, chair of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, agreed with Barbers that Abalos is on the right track when he called top police officials to tender their resignation.
He stressed the need to strengthen the existing laws that penalize men in uniform who are in cahoots with criminal elements.
“As House committee chair on public order and safety, I am fully in support of the actions taken by DILG Sec Abalos… It is about time that we cleanse the police organization of members who are protectors of drug syndicates and ninja cops,” he said.
Fernandez added that the move could even restore the people’s trust in law enforcement as one of the pillars of the administration of justice in the country.
On the other hand, Fernandez asked the DILG to come up with a more calibrated approach while pursuing the goal of purging the PNP in order to protect the reputation of the majority of the police force who “quietly do their jobs and preserve the integrity of the institution.”
“I ask for a more calibrated approach to this issue. The DILG and the PNP leadership should call out these tainted police officers and men, as well as file charges against them in the exercise of their administrative control and supervision. More fundamentally, we should review our recruitment and promotion processes, as well as our disciplinary machinery against erring men and women in uniform,” Fernandez added. (PNA)
