Duterte to get list of ‘criminal’ cops tagged by Magalong

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Christopher Go will inform President Duterte of the identities of the active and retired police officers tagged in illegal activities by retired police general and now Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong to the recent Senate hearing.?

Members of the Senate committee on justice and human rights chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon had an executive session with Magalong on Thursday to get the names of the law enforcers believed involved in criminal activities, particularly illegal drugs.?

Aside from Gordon and Magalong, other senators present at the executive session were Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Go.?Gordon said Magalong had identified several police officers, both active and retired.?“Bahala na si Presidente sa kanila. Sabi namin kay Sen. Bong Go sya na magpaabot kay President,” Gordon added.

Sources said police officials based in Camp Crame were all glued to the television watching the Senate hearing on Thursday upon learning that Magalong would testify and might spill the beans on some policemen involved in illegal activities.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and Phillipine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) vowed yesterday to coordinate efforts to neutralize Metro Manila’s “untouchable” drug queen and her “ninja” policemen who are involved in the recycling or sale of drugs earlier seized by law enforcers.

NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar met yesterday with PDEA director Aaron Aquino and they agreed to work together to stop the operations of the drug queen based in Sampaloc, Manila.

“We exchanged notes and agreed to work together against these ninja cops as we at the NCPRO were monitoring policemen through the internal cleansing program,” Eleazar said.

After getting wind of Aquino’s revelation against the drug queen and her cohorts buying seized shabu and recycling them in the streets, Eleazar immediately ordered an investigation as he surmised that the concerned policemen are no longer in active service.

The NCRPO chief said he would not tolerate the recycling of illegal drugs under his watch.

“For those who are involved in recycling, my advice to them is for them to go absent without leave as we would not hesitate to dismiss them once we have evidence against them,” Eleazar said.

Aquino said that eight underlings of the drug queen were arrested and one was killed during the operations.

The drug queen also hires active and dismissed policemen and even retired officers.

Aquino gave assurance that the PDEA and NCRPO would coordinate closely to arrest the drug queen and the “ninja cops” involved in the recycling of illegal drugs once they get enough evidence against them.  

He said Eleazar said some ninja cops have been neutralized while some are on AWOL (absent without official leave) status.

There are such ninja cops assigned at the Manila Police District and Quezon City Police District, Aquino said. – With Non Alquitran