Toll of drug war on cops: 123 sacked

The all-out war on drugs launched by the Duterte administration is taking its toll on those who are supposedly on the front line of the battle to stamp out the widespread trafficking of illegal substances—policemen.

In two regions in the Visayas—western and central—at least 123 policemen had been removed from their posts in the wake of the antidrug war.

Among these are 67 members of two special police units in Central Visayas who had been praised for their roles in the killing of two suspected drug lords in June.

Seven policemen from the Central Visayas police force were fired after testing positive for drug use.

In Western Visayas, at least 49 officers had been fired as they await results of investigations into their alleged involvement in drugs.

Chief Supt. Noli Talino, Central Visayas regional police chief, ordered the transfer of all 67 members of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (Raidsoft) and the Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG).

Talino said he was dissatisfied with the performance of the policemen who killed suspected drug lords Rowen “Yawa” Secretaria in Banacon Island on May 28 and Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz in Las Piñas City in Metro Manila on June 17.

While Talino, former member of the Special Action Force, said the transfer of the Raidsoft and RSOG officers was part of the war on drugs, “I’m not saying these operatives are into drugs.”

“Perhaps, they need to try other police units,” said Talino of the 67 officers. “If they’re really good policemen, wherever they will be assigned, they will do their jobs,” he said.

The policemen removed from their posts would be required to undergo schooling.

The transfer of the 67 Raidsoft and RSOG officers followed the transfer of seven policemen in Central Visayas to what some would refer to as “freezer” positions at the regional holding and administrative unit.

The seven are facing investigation after they tested positive for drug use.

“They can contest the findings but I’ll make sure they get dismissed from the service,” Talino said.

In Southern Mindanao, authorities counted at least 22 dead and 17,000 had surrendered since the war on drugs was launched.

Chief Insp. Andrea dela Cerna, Southern Mindanao police spokesperson, said those killed had resisted arrest.

“Policemen should also protect themselves,” Dela Cerna said of the killings. With a report from Frinston Lim, Inquirer Mindanao