‘You’ll rot in jail,’ Duterte, Cayetano warn narcopoliticians

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.  INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

PRESIDENTIAL candidate Rodrigo Duterte and his running mate Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano have issued a strong warning against politicians and government officials involved in illegal drug trade.

“You will rot all in jail,” the duo said in a statement on Wednesday.

The warning came after the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) confirmed the existence of “narcopolitics” in the Philippines, citing the arrests of close to 200 government officials  in 2015, who were allegedly involved in illegal drug activities.

READ: Duterte: Drug menace derails PH growth

“I will not allow our people to be governed by ‘narcopoliticians’. If elected, in the first year of my term with Sen. Cayetano, I will detoxify the government of these criminals and send them all to jail,” Duterte said in a statement on Wednesday.

Cayetano, for his part, said he would pushed for “a high-tech police force to combat crime, drug trafficking and cyber-pornography, adding that today’s criminals have become better at using technology to commit illegal activities.

“Sobra na ang gulo dahil ang ating kapulisan ay walang sapat na kakayahan at teknolohiya para sugpuin ang krimen sa ating bansa,” he said.

To modernize the crime-fighting and solving capabilities of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the duo will push for the following measures:

-Modern crime response center similar to Davao City’s Integrated Emergency Response System 911 that works and brings help within minutes.

-More CCTVs (with facial recognition software) in strategic locations and thoroughfares.

-Body-worn cameras for police personnel to record their interactions with the public and gather video evidence at crime scenes.

-Modern crime laboratory services to make match ballistics information and crime reconstruction to solve crimes more efficient.

READ: Duterte to drug pushers: Leave Davao City or be killed

“Better facilities and technology mean better chances of rounding up criminals and ending the reign of disorder in our country. Sa isang modernong PNP, matatapos ang gulo at magkakaroon ng tunay na pagbabago,” Cayetano said.