PNP chief: Drug war not against poor

PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde. INQUIRER FILE / JAM STA ROSA

Director General Oscar Albayalde denied on Monday criticism that the government’s war on drugs was focused on the poor.

The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) was reacting to allegations of some netizens that the rich were not targeted in the illegal drug campaign after news broke that P6.8 billion worth of shabu eluded authorities.

“Remember, ‘yong nare-recover sa buong Pilipinas, dito sa PNP wala pa ‘yong sa PDEA, it’s about mga P25 billion. So, how can you say na small time lang ‘yong nahuhuli?” Albayalde asked PNP’s critics during a press briefing at Camp Crame on Monday.

He explained that the public’s perception might be due to the police’s “territorial” approach to law enforcement, adding that it did translate to a preference for targets.

“Nakikita natin lang ‘yung pang araw-araw na nahuhuli, ‘yung mga nagtutulak o ‘yong mga barangay-level na drug peddlers,” Albayalde said.

“Kaya nga nahuli ‘yung sa BOC (Bureau of Customs). You could just imagine, more than 300 kilos ‘don sa BOC,” he added.

He was referring to the initial operation where about 500 kilos of shabu were seized hidden inside a magnetic lifter at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT).

PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino revealed on Friday that he had a hunch that there could be other lifters with shabu in them.

In a subsequent operation, four other lifters were found in a warehouse in General Mariano Alvarez in Cavite. Aquino believed that the huge, cylindrical metal lifters contained around one ton of the illegal drugs.

Drug-sniffing dogs have reportedly confirmed finding traces of shabu in the containers.

Aquino said 19 people, including 11 Chinese nationals were being investigated.  Among them is a certain Chao Yue Wah, who allegedly acts as the liaison officer for the Golden Triangle international drug syndicate.

READ: 1 ton of shabu worth P6.8B eludes PDEA, PNP

Albayalde conceded that some large amounts of drugs could have eluded authorities.

“Meron naman talagang nakakalusot siguro, though that is yet to be verified kung totoong naka-lusot ‘yon,” he confessed.

Nevertheless, he stressed that “hindi tayo magpapabaya para hanapin ‘yan.” /cbb