Duterte urged: Reconsider order to AFP to nab rogue cops

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. KING RODRIGUEZ/Presidential Photo

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to reconsider his order to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to arrest erring cops, saying it would be “very dangerous” if the military would check against the police.

“Ako I’ll stand up against it. Magkakagulo tayo pagka ang mag-check ng pulis ang military (There would be disorder if the military would check against the police). We might end up having armed people, legitimate armed forces, na naglalaban-laban (fighting against each other),” Lacson, who headed the Philippine National Police (PNP), said in a press briefing.

READ: Duterte taps AFP in war on bad cops

“Very dangerous. If I may give (an) unsolicited advice, mas maganda i-rethink, i-reconsider ang instruction na yan dahil (it would be better to rethink, reconsider the instruction because it is) very dangerous,” he added.

Lacson believes that the cleansing of the PNP should be better left to the institution itself. After all, the senator believes that the 40 percent alleged police scalawags that the President had recently mentioned was an “overestimate.”

Besides, he said, the President, as commander in chief, may call either the PNP or AFP to take action.

“Pero sabi ko nga dapat i-reconsider ang order na yan dahil delikado yan (But as I said, the order should be reconsidered because it’s dangerous),” Lacson added.

Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II said the military could not arrest rogue cops but they can provide support for the PNP in its war on drugs.

“Supportive role yung military dahil wala naman silang training, kakayahan sa investigative procedures. Pero okay lang yun, total war eh (The military should play a supportive role because they don’t have the training and capability in investigative procedures. But that’s okay since it’s a war),” Honasan said in a separate interview.

“It can adopt a supportive role dahil (because) technically (it’s) classified na (already) as a national security problem yung dangerous drugs so tama lang yun (the dangerous drugs so it’s appropriate). Pag-ingatan lang dahil binabanggit kanina baka madagdagan ang pang-aabuso (However, it should be reviewed because as mentioned earlier, the abuses may become more widespread),” he added.

Honasan said the military’s role should be limited and should not include going after rogue cops.

“Sino ba ang nakakakilala sa rogue cops? Yung mga kapwa cops (Who know the rogue cops? The fellow rogue cops),” he said. RAM