Cops recycling drugs should be named: Albayalde

September 23, 2019

The head of the Philippine National Police ( PNP) on Monday said police officials who are allegedly involved in drug recycling should be named to prevent other officials from being accused of that.

Police General Oscar Albayalde made the statement after it was rumored that an active high-ranking officer was involved in drug recycling and extortion from Chinese drug syndicates.

“To make things straight and to make records straight… I think just to be fair to everyone, whoever they are referring too, they should name it. Not just insinuation because it's really very hard when you are doing everything already and yet you are being accused of something that you did not do,” Albayalde said in a press briefing.

“No less than the president (Rodrigo Duterte) assured the law enforcement agency. So we should be very careful in accusing people,” he said.

In last week’s executive session at the Senate, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, the former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) director, said a retired and an active police official are involved in so-called “agaw bato” or drug recycling.

When he was director at Pampanga Provincial Police Office (PPO), Albayalde’s police officers were reportedly involved in the scheme which resulted to his administrative relief.

Albayalde said the incident happened years ago.

“These are all recycled, if recycling of drugs is on trend maybe recycling of personal perception is also in trend. As I have said these are all personal perception. We are covered by laws also, rules and regulations,” said Albayalde.

“That happened six years ago and they are saying (a) four star (rank is involved). I’m the only four star (rank) so how can I not react? It’s hard when we are doing everything already,” he added.

Albayalde said the issue he and his men had when he was Pampanga provincial director were dismissed.

“For the record, these were all dismissed and for the record I was not- investigation showed that I don’t have any involvement. In fact, as what Attorney Rogelio Casurao ( of the National Police Commission) said earlier, those who faced charges were all dismissed… the case filed against them were all dismissed because of lack of evidence,” he said.

For his part, Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said those cops who are involved in illegal drugs should be named so it will be specific and the PNP can do the appropriate action.

“It’s not fair for our hardworking and honest policemen who will be lump all together that PNP is into recycling of drugs,” he said.

The DILG chief, who heads the PNP, said arresting cops who are involved in illegal drug syndicates are done through intelligence work.

“They are doing it silently. You know it’s like intelligence work and then suddenly it will become controversial. You are just actually alerting this people to be careful and watchful of their reactions,” he said.

Ano said direct and proper coordination must be done to get rid of scalawag and misfit cops.

“Anytime the agencies can have a meeting. Send your representative or call a conference. We have an inter-committee on anti-drugs,” he said.

“You don’t have to go to Senate or to any public forum to announce anything if we want to really stop all these criminal activities, particularly drug operations,” he added.

Ano assured the public that the PNP is doing its best to serve the country.

“I would just like to assure the public that PNP is always doing its best to serve this country, to enforce the law and to ensure public safety and make sure peace and order is maintain at any parts of our country,” he said.

Based on PNP’s data, out of the 87 cops included in Duterte’s narco list, they are only monitoring 22, with police major as the highest rank.

“These are all under monitoring but it so hard to find evidence so we don’t want to accuse anybody here. These are all (on the) watchlist and let us all be careful,” he said.

Drug recycling was mentioned during the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s budget hearing and was also disclosed during the Senate investigation on the anomalies inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).  Ella Dionisio/DMS