Thank God they’re alive! Leni Robredo lauds cops for bloodless drug stings
MANILA, Philippines – The recent efforts of the police to conduct anti-drug operations without causing any deaths has earned the praise of Vice President Leni Robredo — the newly-minted drug czar who vowed to prevent senseless killings.
Leni Robredo posted on a tweet on Wednesday two stories where police operatives in Makati City and Manila were able to seize P6.8 million and P5.7 million worth of drugs, respectively, without killing any drug suspect.
“Saludo kami sa law enforcement agencies na bahagi ng mga operasyon kung saan nasabat ang P6.8-M na halaga ng shabu sa Makati at P5.7-M na halaga ng shabu sa Tondo,” Leni Robredo said a week after accepting the co-chair post of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD).
(We salute law enforcement agencies involved in the anti-drug operations that netted P6.8 million worth of shabu in Makati and P5.7 million in Tondo, Manila.)
“This was done without sacrificing innocent lives. Hopeful that we can continue this in our fight vs illegal drugs,” Robredo added.
Saludo kami sa law enforcement agencies na bahagi ng mga operasyon kung saan nasabat ang P6.8-M na halaga ng shabu sa Makati at P5.7-M na halaga ng shabu sa Tondo. This was done without sacrificing innocent lives. Hopeful that we can continue this in our fight vs illegal drugs. pic.twitter.com/HlHlEDBBMQ
— Leni Robredo (@lenirobredo) November 13, 2019
During the operation in Makati on Tuesday, at least one kilogram of shabu was seized from two suspects identified as Edison Pascual Chua and Brian James Macatangay Bantegui.
Article continues after this advertisementAnd just on Wednesday morning, 880 grams of shabu were recovered from three drug suspects in Tondo — including one high-value target. All three suspects hail from Cotabato, and were caught alive.
READ: Shabu worth P6.8M seized in Makati City
READ: 3 arrested, P5.7 M shabu seized in Manila drug sting
Robredo had said that the chance to save lives was a primary consideration in accepting the ICAD post, as the number of persons slain in legitimate operations has mounted. Official numbers placed the death toll at over 5,500.
She also floated the possibility of replacing Oplan Tokhang — the Philippine National Police’s prime program against illegal drugs — as it has gained a negative connotation for being a bloody campaign.
