Police officers march at the Philippine National Police grounds in Camp Crame in Quezon City. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said the internal review being conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) on alleged links of ranking lawmen to the illegal drug trade will be finished in “another two weeks or so.”
According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Marcos issued the statement during the 1st Joint National Peace and Order Council (NPOC) and Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) meeting in Malacañang.
“Kaya naman ating ginawa ‘yung review, mga official sa police at dahan-dahan… malapit nang matapos. I think in another two weeks or so, we’ll be able to finish that. We’ll be able to review all of that,” the PCO press release quoted Marcos as saying.
(That’s why we conducted the review of ranking police officers and slowly… it will wrap up soon. I think in another two weeks or so, we’ll be able to finish that. We’ll be able to review all of that.)
“It’s a very complicated system, and it’s a very complicated situation. Hindi naman tayo puwedeng umaksyon (We can’t just take action) on the basis ng tsismis (of gossip). We cannot move on that basis. We have to be very careful because we have to [be] fair. It has to be just,” he added.
The President then appealed to the members of the PNP to work with his administration, saying he has an obligation to address the drug trade problem and ensure a credible and well-functioning police force in the country.
“The police have to be with us. They have to be on our side. We cannot do it without them. Ganun lang kasimple ‘yun (It’s that simple). We have to have a good functioning police force,” Marcos said.
“Now, but there should be also a mechanism where those who have succumbed to temptation must be brought to account para naman mabuwag natin ang mga ganyang klaseng sistema (so we can dismantle such systems),” he added.
During the meeting, the PCO also said, Marcos urged council members to address the country’s two main peace and order problems: the rise in political violence and violence stemming from competition among drug syndicates.
The country should tackle the peace and order problem now to avoid being mired in violence and disarray like what happened in other countries, he likewise said.
“We have seen it happening in other countries around the world. Huwag tayong (Leet us not)… huwag nating pabayaang mapunta ang Pilipinas doon sa ganung klaseng sitwasyon (Let us not allow the Philippines to end up in that kind of situation). Bakit (Why)? That’s when governments fail, [that’s] when nations fail, and wala na tayong maaasahan (we have no more hope),” he said.
Last January, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. asked high-ranking police officers to file their courtesy resignations as part of efforts to cleanse the police force of officers with links to the illegal drug trade.
Abalos said a committee will asses the records of all the police officers and that those found not involved in the illegal narcotics trade will be retained.
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