The Philippine National Police (PNP) will run after “troll cops” who spread fake news about their fellow lawmen currently included in President Duterte’s drug watchlist.
PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said they are not discounting the possibility that some of the 356 policemen who are currently being investigated for alleged drug links are themselves victims of fake news.
He cited two reasons: First, some of the policemen in the drug watchlist may have crossed paths with drug syndicates in the performance of their duty and in retaliation, they fabricated reports against them.
This theory was first floated by former PNP chief and now Sen. Ronald dela Rosa over the inclusion of Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido.
As dela Rosa vouched for the integrity of Espenido, he called on the PNP leadership to also look at those feeding the police organization with wrong intelligence reports.
Second, according to Banac, is professional jealousy which means that some policemen vying for juicy positions are making up reports to clear all the fellow cops whom they think as threats to their ambition.
“It is possible that some are indeed fabricating and spreading fake news over personal grudge or personal motives,” Banac said in a press briefing at Camp Crame.
This is the reason, according to Banac, why the PNP is careful in validating and adjudicating the cases of all the 356 policemen.
Once the adjudication process is done, Banac said they will focus on who among them were cleared.
The adjudication process is set to be done on March 5 wherein the result of the investigation on all 356 cops will be submitted to President Duterte.
For all those cleared, Banac said they will look into the circumstances on how their names were included.
“Those who fed the information on policemen who were cleared will be subjected also to investigation as to where they got the information,” said Banac.
Banac said that once those who fed the information on alleged narco-cop list were proven to have fabricated the report, they will also be charged. (AFP)
