The government has “zero tolerance” for policemen involved in abuse and illegal activities and would continue to rid the police ranks of these “rotten eggs,” Malacañang said yesterday.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo made the statement after a Social Weather Stations survey showed that majority of Filipinos believe that cops are involved in illegal drug trade, extrajudicial killings, and planting of evidence against drug trade suspects.
“Just like in any organization, the Palace is aware that there are rotten eggs that tend to destroy the integrity of the great institution, that is the Philippine National Police,” Panelo said.
“As PRRD himself said, ‘There will be hell to pay if you become worse than criminals.’ Such actions show that we, in the administration, are intolerant with any kind of abuse coming from those whose duty is to serve and protect the Filipino people,” he added.
Measures are being taken to clean up the police ranks and run after those involved in illegal activities, according to Panelo.
“While there is no denying that there are erring policemen within their ranks, the PNP has done internal cleansing efforts such as the activation of the Counter-Intelligence Task Force tasked to go after policemen involved in unlawful activities,” he said.
“We have also been witnesses to this zero tolerance against police misfits when the cop killers of Kian de los Santos were convicted and the entire Caloocan police force was relieved,” he added.
In the survey conducted last December, majority of the respondents believe that accusations against policemen are true.
Sixty-six percent said the allegation that police officers are involved in executing drug suspects are “definitely or probably true” while 28 percent are “undecided.” Five percent said it was “definitely or probably not true.”
Asked if cops were involved in the illegal drug trade are true, 68 percent said it was definitely or probably true, 26 percent are undecided, and five percent thought it was probably not true.
The survey also showed 58 percent believe police officers plant evidence on drug suspects, 33 percent are “undecided,” and nine percent believe it is “definitely or probably not true.”
Even as he recognized the presence of police misfits, Panelo has called for fairness in the conduct of the survey. “In the spirit of fairness, however, SWS should have also fielded a question regarding the good deeds of our policemen in the war against drugs,” he said.
He noted that 165 police officers were killed and 575 were wounded in the campaign against prohibited narcotics, based on the latest report of the PNP.
These figures dispel allegations of critics and detractors on legitimate drug operations and show that drug offenders actually resort to violence when confronted with a threat of apprehension, Panelo said.
“Indeed, illegal drugs, particularly methamphetamine or shabu, alter emotions and cause anger and fear on the part of the user so we are not dumbfounded when violent encounters ensue during police operations,” he said. (Genalyn Kabiling)
