Solicitor General Jose Calida. INQUIRER.net SCREENGRAB
Solicitor General Jose Calida assured police officers on Monday that he will protect them amid the spate of killings of suspected drug users and pushers just days after Rodrigo Duterte officially assumed the presidency.
In a press briefing at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Calida said that the members of the police force should not be afraid of inquiries that are being planned in Congress.
READ: Duterte admin welcomes proposed probe on spate of killings, but…
“We will not allow anybody to derail this effort of the PNP and its officers to implement the order of our President, to stop this drug trafficking and drug menace in our society,” Calida said.
“I am here to encourage the PNP not to be afraid of any congressional or Senate investigations. We will defend them,” he added.
Calida then slammed Senator Leila de Lima who is supposedly pushing for a congressional inquiry on the lengthening list of drug suspect deaths for “media mileage.”
READ: Leila seeks immediate probe
He claimed that during de Lima’s tenure as justice secretary, she was not able to bust the drug problem “in her own turf” and instead, became widespread.
“If she truly is sincere to stop this drug menace, let us ask her. What did she do as justice secretary in charge of the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), the prosecution service and the Correctional? Hindi po ito (This is not an) investigation in aid of legislation. To me I think it is investigation in aid of media mileage,” the solicitor general said.
De Lima said that the Senate inquiry would focus on crafting legislation that will lay down the operating procedure of law enforcement agencies such as the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
“We have to look into that in aid of legislation. The killings are on the rise, and there are just tell-tale signs of summary executions in a number of them,” De Lima earlier said. RAM