PNP urges European lawmakers to back claims of 12,000 deaths in anti-drug drive

April 20, 2018

Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Oscar Albayalde told the European Parliament to back up its claims that 12,000 people were killed in the government's nearly two-year war on illegal drugs.

Albayalde said in his first press conference as PNP chief Friday he doesn't know how EU lawmakers obtained their “bloated” data which was their basis in urging the Philippines to stop its  anti-drug campaign.

“If they can give us details of the 12,000 deaths, probably we can  check if their data is correct,” Albayalde said. “We don't know where it came from. Some are saying 7,000, now it's at 12,000. Maybe tomorrow it will be 20,000,” he added.

Albayalde's predecessor, former PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa, said at least 4,128 suspected drug pushers and users were killed in reported armed encounters with police operatives since July 1, 2016.

He said police operatives are only forced to retaliate when drug suspects put up a fight.

The European Parliament accused the PNP in a joint resolution of falsifying evidence to justify drug-related extrajudicial killings.

Albayalde insisted they submitted spot reports and other documents in previous Senate inquiries.

“How can they accuse us for covering up these reports? It's impossible because once you reported that, it's covered by an official spot report,” he said. DMS