Duterte to let Ombudsman pursue criminal liabilities of ‘ninja cops’

MANILA, Philippines—President Rodrigo Duterte will leave it to the Office of the Ombudsman to pursue criminal liability of the so-called “ninja cops” or those policemen who recycle seized illegal drugs.

Speaking before newly appointed officials in Malacañang, Duterte revealed he has received the result of the Senate’s investigation on rogue cops.

The President said he expects the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to impose administrative sanctions against the ninja cops but noted that the Ombudsman would be the one to pursue the criminal charges against the said police officers.

“These ninja cops and everybody in the government, you must deal with the department where you belong and I expect the department to impose administrative sanctions, which include gross ignorance of the law,” Duterte said.

“Then the administrative proceedings may mete out a punishment of a separation. But for your criminal liability, it belongs now to the Ombudsman,” he added.

Duterte said he could not just adopt the Senate’s findings, noting that Congress is not under his authority.

“I cannot just adopt the investigation of the Senate because the Senate is not under me nor am I under the Senate. So kung ano ‘yung investigation nila, reviewhin ko at kung tumama naman sa lahat (So whatever the result of their investigation, I’ll review it and if it’s consistent) … then I will just adopt some but not all,” he said.

The Senate started looking into the early release of heinous crime convicts due to good conduct, which witnesses said were being sold by corrupt Bureau of Correction officials.

Other fraudulent schemes in the BuCor were also unearthed, prompting lawmakers to invite former PNP-CIDG chief and now Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong.

Magalong later accused former PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde of protecting his former subordinates in Pampanga who allegedly “mishandled” more than a hundred kilo of shabu from an anti-drug sting in 2013.

Albayalde, who resigned last month as chief of police, has denied the allegations.