MANILA, Philippines — “Patayin yan sila [Just kill them].”
This is what Senator Christopher “Bong” Go wants to happen to corrupt police officers described as “ninja cops” who are engaging in the recycling and re-selling of seized illegal drugs.
In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, Go said that what ninja cops are doing–engaging in the so-called “agaw-bato” scheme–are “unforgivable” because they break the law instead of enforcing or upholding it.
“Hindi katanggap-tanggap kay Pangulo [Rodrigo Duterte] kahit po sa akin na ‘yung mga ninja cops sila mismo ang magrecycle ng droga. Sila dapat ang magpatupad ng batas, sila pa ngayon ang magrerecycle, sila pa ang magpapatubos [It is not acceptable to President Duterte and even to me that the so-called ninja cops, who are tasked to enforce the law, are the ones who engage in the recycling of drugs],” Go said.
The senator said the President is set to meet with officials of the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Wednesday to discuss the issue on ninja cops.
“Mamaya, mayroon siyang meeting ngayong araw na ito. Mayroon siyang mga taong kakausapin [He has a meeting later today. He will talk with some people],” Go said.
Go also reiterated the bounty on the heads of police officers who will be found guilty of engaging in the “agaw-bato” scheme: P1 million for ninja cops captured dead, P500,000 for those captured alive, and P2 million for those who fought during an arrest.
“Nabanggit niya na nandyan pa rin ‘yung reward na kanyang sinabi noon. P1 million sa mga ninja cops na patay, ‘pag buhay kalahating milyon lang, ‘pag lumaban, P2 million [He mentioned that the reward he said before is still up. P1 million for ninja cops who are killed, if alive, only half a million pesos, and if they fought, P2 million],” he said in an earlier interview.
Meanwhile, Senator Richard Gordon said that Duterte may announce on Wednesday night or Thursday the names of the ninja cops. /jpv
READ: Duterte to announce names of ‘ninja cops’ soon — Go