Duterte taps AFP in war on bad cops

President Duterte has ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to arrest police scalawags particularly those involved in illegal drugs as part of the cleansing of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“Let me reorganize the enforcement diyan sa (against) drugs sa (in the) police. In the meantime, they would be arrested and I will order you (AFP) to arrest them,” he said in a speech before military generals at Malacanang on Tuesday.

Duterte said if the AFP would not help in his war on drugs and corrupt police officers, no one would go after them.

“Kung hindi ko kayo ipasok sa laro, patay ako. Walang magtingin diyan sa abusadong pulis. The culture of corruption sa pulis, matindi. In the beginning pati mga generals eh,” he said.

(If I don’t put you into the game, I’m finished. No one will go after the bad cops. The culture of corruption in the police is deep. Even generals are into it.)

In a press briefing on Sunday night, Duterte ordered the PNP to stop the enforcement of its anti-illegal drugs campaign, saying he wanted a cleansing of the police force.

In an ambush interview after the oathtaking, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said only a specific unit of the AFP and not the whole force would be involved in the anti-illegal drug campaign.

“They can arrest if they are part of operations, and if they are deputized by PDEA then why not?” Esperon told reporters./ac