PNP general in P6.7-B drug mess now in talks to return to PH, surrender
Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III. —Videograb from YouTube by Niño Jesus Orbeta | Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — The former Philippine National Police (PNP) general allegedly involved in the P6.7-billion drug haul mess is in talks to return to the country and surrender, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said on Friday.
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo previously said the general left the country before a Manila court issued the warrant for his and 28 other officers’ arrest for the bungling of the prosecution of the drug case, a bailable offense.
In an interview with reporters in Camp Crame on Friday, CIDG Director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said, “There are already surrender feelers regarding that matter.”
“The general’s return is being formalized for him to surrender and post bail,” he said in Filipino.
“When he arrives here, we’ll pick him up and we’ll assist him to post bail. That’s his right,” the CIDG director added.
While Torre also did not name the general, another Manila court issued a separate warrant for the 28 officers’ arrest for the planting of evidence, a non-bailable offense. The second warrant excluded former PNP deputy chief for operations Lt. Gen. Benjamin Santos Jr.
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According to Torre, only eight of the 29 wanted police officers remain at large.
The CIDG director also said personnel were working to trace down another general, former Drug Enforcement Group chief Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo, who posted a video on social media last Jan. 31.
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In the video, Domingo claimed that the case against them was ill-informed and that a syndicate was protecting the subject of the alleged coverup, Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo.
“We have tracers. They must just be thinking. Eventually, they have to face the music. They have to face the cases. That’s in their personal decisions now,” he said in Filipino.
