PNP chief pays courtesy visit to Cardinal Tagle

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle receives Philippine National Police Chief Dir. Gen. Oscar D. Albayalde at the Archbishop Palace in Manila on Wednesday. (PHOTO courtesy of PNP Public Information Office)

As the government continues to wage its controversial crackdown against illegal drugs, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Dir. Gen. Oscar D. Albayalde on Wednesday paid a courtesy visit to Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.

Albayalde visited Tagle at the Archbishop Palace in Manila along with newly appointed National Capital Region Police Office director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar and five Metro Manila police district directors, according to PNP spokesperson Senior Supt. Benigno Durana Jr.

During their brief meeting, Albayalde assured the Manila archbishop that the crackdown against illegal drugs will strictly observe human rights and the rule of law.

Durana said the police chief also told the Cardinal that all of them believe in God.

The Catholic Church has been critical of the government’s war on illegal drugs, which has killed thousands of mostly poor Filipinos in Metro Manila and the nearby provinces, since it was launched in July 2016.

The anti-drugs campaign is also the subject of legal questions, including a preliminary examination by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a petition before the Supreme Court.

The crackdown has drawn criticisms here and abroad for alleged human rights abuses committed during police operations. /ee