Duterte castigates Ebreo, 4 other axed Bacolod cops over alleged drug link

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte “castigated” the five Bacolod police officials for their alleged involvement in the illegal drugs trade, Malacañang said Wednesday.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo confirmed that Bacolod City Police Chief Senior Supt. Francisco Ebreo, Senior Supt. Allan Rubi Macapagal, Supt. Richie Makilan Yatar, Supt. Nasruddin Daud Tayuan, and Senior Insp. Victor Paulino met with the President in Malacañang on Monday.

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“[President Duterte] gave the police officers a dressing down and castigated them for allowing the proliferation of illegal drugs to persist in Bacolod,” Panelo said in statement.

“The President particularly expressed his frustration as to why they had no knowledge about the presence of certain personalities in Bacolod who are involved in the illegal drug industry,” he added.

The President, Panelo said, told the policemen that they were relieved from their present posts pending their investigation.

The Palace official said “the swift action of the President is a timely warning to other PNP officers that the President will not tolerate incompetence and inefficiency in the police force, especially with respect to the administration’s crusade versus illegal drugs.”

“While our efforts in destroying the illegal drug apparatus should remain firm and relentless, we take this occasion to reiterate [the President’s] position that he will support policemen resorting to force only when the same is inevitable as when, in the performance of their duties, a suspect sought to be arrested performs aggressive and violent resistance amounting to an actual or imminent threat to their lives and limbs,” he said.

The President announced the firing of the five policemen in his speech at the private birthday party of Leo Rey Yanson, chief executive officer of Vallacar Transit, at L’Fisher Hotel on Saturday night.   /muf

READ: Duterte fires Bacolod police chief, 4 other cops