Lacson suspends Senate hearings on ‘tokhang for ransom’

January 30, 2017

Citing the government’s focus on rogue police personnel in its restructured war against illegal drugs, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said on Monday he is suspending the Senate’s hearings on “tokhang for ransom” incidents involving scalawags in uniform.

Lacson, who chairs the Senate committee on public order and illegal drugs, held a hearing on the matter last week, said it would be wise that the Senate wait and see how the major changes in the anti-drug war will work out.

“In view of the massive restructuring of the war against drugs to focus on rogue cops as ordered by the President, it is my view that the Senate wait and see how this latest development plays out. Having said that, I am suspending the hearings on the 'tokhang for ransom’ issue,” Lacson said.

“After all, the president has taken a positive action on the matter and I feel that the committee on public order and dangerous drugs has partially achieved one of the purposes of its legislative inquiry. It is now time to attend to the pertinent legislative measures referred to the committee,” Lacson noted.

The next hearing of the committee had initially been scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 2.

Lacson, who headed the Philippine National Police from 1999-2001, said he will focus on pieces of legislation that may at least minimize abuses by police personnel in conducting anti-crime operations.

These include bills on training police personnel as well as the strengthening of the PNP’s Internal Affairs Service.

Lacson reiterated the need for systemic measures to prevent abuses by law enforcers, pointing out that crime may not be eradicated but could be minimized.

“I have said before that it is impossible to eradicate crime, but quite doable to greatly minimize it. As such, there should be systemic moves to deter, if not prevent, abuses by those tasked to stop criminality,” he said. DMS