INVESTIGATORS from the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Friday they have established prima facie evidence to prosecute two of three active police generals linked to illegal drugs.
Interior Secretary Mike Sueno declined to name the two active police generals, but said they were in Metro Manila.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier named the three active police generals as Police Director Joel Pagdilao, Chief Supt. Edgardo Tinio and Chief Supt. Bernardo Diaz.
Pagdilao used to be the director of the National Capital Region Police Office while Tinio headed the Quezon City Police District. Diaz was previously assigned at the Western Visayas Region.
“Of the three generals who are still on duty, we are ready with cases against two, both in Metro Manila,” Sueno said in Filipino. “We have the evidence.”
He said investigators were given 10 days to gather enough evidence against the third police general.
Sueno said that with the prima facie finding against the two police officials, they could now file a case against them in court.
Sueno said it was up to the court to decide the fate of retired PNP deputy director Gen. Marcelo Garbo, while the DILG would have a say on what happens to former police chief supertintendent Vicente Loot, who is now Daanbantayan, Cebu Mayor
The National Police Commission, for its part, said it is conducting an extensive evaluation of the statements of assets and liabilities of the three active generals.
All the police generals named by Duterte have denied the charges against them.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, meanwhile, said he will form a fact-finding body to investigate two former high-ranking officials of the Justice Department for receiving millions of pesos in protection money from some high-profile inmates in exchange of providing them special treatment and allowing them to continue their illegal drug trade while being detained at the New Bilibid Prison.
Aguirre said the fact-finding team to be composed of DoJ undersecretaries and prosecutors will investigate information he received that two former Justice officials were on the payroll of drug lords.
The National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police are now gathering evidence and conducting their own probe against these two officials whom the DoJ declined to identify pending investigation.
Nonetheless, Aguirre confirmed that the two officials worked with the DoJ during the previous administration.
“I do not want to name names [because] that would be unfair to them. But we are going to come out with the results of the ongoing investigation,” Aguirre said.
Aguirre said the fact-finding body will also determine why some high-profile inmates were not among those who were transferred to the NBI detention during the previous’ administration supposed campaign to neutralize drug operations and other illegal activities inside the NBP.
“I’ll be creating a fact-finding committee to assist the other investigating bodies. I believe that the police, the NBI are already conducting their own investigation into it,” he said.
The investigating team will also look into the anomaly involving the daily meal allowance of the prisoners.
Aguirre disclosed that the 24,000 prisoners at the NBP used to be allotted P50 per day for meals but this was lowered to P40 for no apparent reason.
But information reaching his office showed that the P10 deduction, which translates to P240,000 a day, was pocketed by some erring DoJ and NBP officials.
The fact-finding team will also investigate reports that religious groups are being used as front for prostitution at the national penitentiary, the DoJ chief said.
Aguirre said he was informed by a representative of a non-government organization and several prisons guards that some religious groups are behind the smuggling of prostitutes and illegal drugs into the NBP.
Aguirre said the PNP Special Action Force commandos, who were deployed one week ago to the NBP, have managed to seize a total of P1.6 million in cash, sachets of suspected shabu and containers of marijuana from inmates.
Other prohibited items confiscated were 80 bladed weapons, 12 ice picks, a .38 cal. pistol, six improvised shotguns, 152 cellphones, 62 mobile phone chargers and 48 television sets.
Aguirre said surprise raids were also conducted in other penal colonies like Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro, Iwahig in Palawan and Zamboanga.
In Bulacan, two more drug suspects were killed and two others were arrested in a series of anti-narcotics operations.
“Two armed drug targets were killed and two arrested as illegal drugs and firearms and ammunitions seized today during separate buy-bust operations conducted by our personnel in Norzagaray and San Miguel towns,” said acting provincial police director Senior Superintendent Romeo Caramat Jr.