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Philippines
Thursday, March 28, 2024

NCRPO calls 43 Metro cops for drug links

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Some 43 Metro Manila cops were summoned by National Capital Region Police Office chief Maj. Gen. Jonnel Estomo over their inclusion in a watchlist of police personnel with possible links to illegal drugs.

In an exclusive report, ABS-CBN showed a video clip of the meeting with Estomo at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig where the cops also underwent a surprise drug test.

“This is painful. I never imagined this even in my wildest dreams,” one policeman said.

Another said he already went through an adjudication process in 2018 and was surprised that his name was still on the watch list.

Yet another said he underwent a lie detector test but was not appraised of the decision on his case.

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“We are just simple workers who went against some big fish,” another cop lamented.

Estomo, for his part, said the inclusion of the cops in the watchlist of the Philippine National Police does not automatically make them guilty of being involved in illegal drugs.

“There is perhaps doubt [on your record] so please help yourselves and undergo the adjudication process,” he said.

“I cannot say they are involved. That has to be proven. Some of them were just doing their job, and sometimes when you do your job, you step on people’s toes and they get mad.”

“These have to be resolved by the adjudication board. If they are guilty, file a case. If they are not guilty, then clear them. It is that simple,” Estomo added.

Based on the documents gathered by ABS-CBN, of the 43 cops, eight were from the Northern Police District, four from Eastern, 12 from the Manila Police District, eight from Southern, four from the Quezon City Police District, two from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion, four from the Regional Headquarters and one from CIDG-NCR.

“We have no other objective here but to clear your names. So please be truthful in telling your story,” said Col. Roman Cardino, chief of the Regional Intelligence Division of NCRPO.

Meanwhile, the Department of Interior and Local Government said at least 88 percent or 841 out of 954 senior PNP officers have tendered their courtesy resignations as part of efforts to weed out so-called ninja cops.

Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said as of Thursday, the PNP has received resignations from 714 colonels and 126 generals, including the Inspector General of the Internal Affairs Service (IAS).

“You can say this is an ‘act of honor’ on their part,” Abalos said.

Abalos said that he expected the remaining 113 senior officers to turn in their courtesy resignations before the National Police Commission (Napolcom) and a 5-man advisory body convene to review and assess their profiles.

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