The Aquino administration had utilized a bulk of the PNP intelligence funds as reward money to individuals who helped in the government’s anti-terrorism campaign.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa relayed this discovery to reporters at a press briefing after the Senate public order and dangerous drugs initial probe into the Duterte administration’s war against drugs.
“What we found (out)…to tell you frankly, our problem with the intelligence funds of the PNP, is that a sizeable amount of intelligence funds went as reward payment for individuals who helped the government point out the whereabouts of wanted terrorists,” Dela Rosa said adding that the reward money ran by the millions.
Because of this, other police operations were sacrificed.
“Although not all of it, but you know, if you want a higher success rate of intelligence operations, you must pour (intel) funds from the bottom, with the operating units and not limit it to rewards,” he said.
“That’s what we noticed with the previous administration, that until now we still have debts for those rewards,” he added.
But since President Duterte came to power, the use of intelligence funds shifted from anti-terrorism to anti-illegal drugs.
“That is one thing. Actually the focus of the reward (during the previous administration) is for the head of terrorists. The former administration focused more on this,” he said.
“But now with President Duterte at the helm, the PNP shifted its focus from terrorism to drugs. That is what’s happening,” he assured. (HANNAH TORREGOZA)