If Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde attends the Senate probe into the illicit drug trade he was invited to on Monday, he should be prepared to answer questions from lawmakers, Senator Panfilo Lacson said.
He said Albayalde should answer the facts of the issue—not only the identities of the policemen involved in the alleged “recycling” of drugs by so-called “ninja cops” but also the kidnap-for-ransom operations of rogue PNP members who reportedly demand up to P50 million for the release of Chinese drug lords previously arrested by authorities.
Lacson said the PNP—which he once headed—should be thankful to the Senate, since it is helping them get rid of the rogues in the police ranks.
This developed as the Department of Justice placed Guia Gomez Castro, the woman Manila police had accused of conspiring with rogue cops to sell illegal drugs, on the immigration watchlist.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Friday issued an immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) against Castro, which would direct the Bureau of Immigration to monitor her entry into and departure from the Philippines.
The BI has confirmed that Castro is already out of the country.
Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said the department is checking whether or not there are existing hold departure orders against Castro, an elected barangay chairwoman. Unlike an ILBO, an HDO would prevent its subject from leaving the country.
Castro is wanted by at least three courts, Metro Manila police chief Major General Guillermo Eleazar announced on Friday.
“We have 3 warrants of arrest against her,” Eleazar said in a briefing in Camp Bagong Diwa.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office, headed by Eleazar, on Friday formed an alliance with various law enforcement agencies to fight the drug menace and go after government officials protecting the drug trade.
The presence of so-called “ninja cops” and other government officials engaged in drug trafficking prompted the NCRPO chief to formally seek an alliance with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, National Bureau of Investigation, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Dubbed as the NCR Quad-Intel Force, the composite team was formed to maximize the various accomplishments of the government’s campaign against illegal drugs initiated by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“This is the very first formal alliance of an anti-illegal drug force among the four major government agencies,” said Eleazar.
Also, at least 55 barangays in Metro Manila have been declared “drug-cleared,” PDEA said Friday.
PDEA’s NCR office said 55 villages were drug-cleared out of 63 barangays that had applied for the agency’s drug clearing program.
In Manila, 32 villages were declared drug-cleared.
According to Lacson, if lawmakers will not criticize the rogue policemen, they will remain in the police force and later cause headaches.
The senator said the “massive recycling” of illegal drugs will stay without change and reforms in the police system.
“As of now, I read the facts of the case. [Albayalde] has no criminal liability, it will not reach him except of course he was administratively relieved as provincial director because of command responsibility because those were his people,” he said.
“I don’t want to speculate. It depends. Pag masyadong magaling tauhan mo pwede ka palusutan,” said Lacson.
He believes Albayalde was remiss in his job, so he can be held liable on the basis of command responsibility.