Police Major Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, director of the National Capital Region Police Office, has ordered an all-out purge of erring policemen who continuously dip their fingers in the illegal drugs trade, particularly those involved in the recycling of confiscated illegal drugs in Metro Manila.
For a start, Eleazar said he wants to update all the counter-intelligence data against errant Metro Manila cops who are either involved in the recycling of drugs or under the payroll of illegal drug syndicates.
“We have been very aggressive in our Intensified Cleanliness Policy against these scalawag policemen, the reason why we have been arresting policemen who were selling and using drugs. But we want to have a second lool, baka merong pa-simple lang o magaling magtago. We want to run after them,” said Eleazar.
“Kasi sayang ang effort ng kapulisan, sayang ang effort ng ating Pangulo na wakasan ang problema sa ilegal na droga. Hindi lang nila ipinapahiya ang buong kapulisan, pinapahiya ng mga ilang tiwaling ito ang ating gobyerno,” he added.
To maximize intelligence-gathering, Eleazar met Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Aaron Aquino to compare notes and share information against the so-called “ninja” cops or those involved in the recycling of illegal drugs.
Aquino had revealed during a Senate hearing that the recycling of illegal drugs is still rampant, and that some policemen are protecting a shabu queen operating in Metro Manila.
Eleazar will also meet other law enforcement agencies which may have some information on the identities of scalawag Metro Manila policemen. “This should be a whole-intelligence community approach, a whole-government approach,” said Eleazar.
Eleazar said he has initiated policies in the campaign against illegal drugs way back when he was still the director of the Quezon City Police District.
One of them is the “fault of one, fault of all” policy in which an entire drug enforcement unit would be relieved even if only one member was arrested or known to be involved in the illegal drugs trade.
More than 500 policemen have been relieved of their posts over the policy and some of them have been slapped with criminal and administrative charges. Some, on the other hand, have been dismissed from the service. (Aaron Recuenco)
