The Philippine National Police (PNP) has sent validation teams to check on the figures being sent by regional police offices on their respective anti-drug campaign.
As a result, the PNP’s Directorate for Operations found out some discrepancies on the number of drug pushers or users who surrendered since President Duterte assumed office.
In his presentation during the Senate hearing, PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa has reported a total of 673,978 number of suspected drug users and pushers who yielded to various police offices across the country.
But in the latest data of the PNP, the number was down at 626,556 or a difference of more than 47,000.
“A validation team from the Directorate for Operations visited Police Regional Offices and they saw discrepancies, that is why they corrected the data,” said Senior Supt. Dionardo Carlos, PNP spokesman.
Of the number, 585,304 are suspected drug users while the rest are suspected drug pushers.
Earlier, no less than dela Rosa expressed dissatisfaction after the number of surrenderees seemingly stopped on the 600,000 mark for several weeks now.
He said he would push his commanders to do more, what with report that there are more than three million drug dependents across the country.
Cases of tinkering on the PNP data is not something new in the national police organization as it was reported that two years ago that some police commanders are padding the data on their accomplishments to make it appear that they are doing their job well.
In the same PNP data on anti-drugs campaign, the PNP also reported that a total of 895 people were killed from July 1 to August 29 in various illegal drugs operations.
A total of 12,920 people, on the other hand, were arrested. (AARON B. RECUENCO)