MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) is now ready to resume its war against illegal drugs.
PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa stressed this during an ambush interview after he spoke at the 23rd Anniversary of the National Police College (NPC) in Silang, Cavite on Tuesday.
”We will be informed if we will go back to the war on drugs. We will be informed in due time. Hintay hintay lang tayo,” Dela Rosa said.
The PNP chief noted that since President Rodrigo Roa Duterte ordered a stop in the PNP’s campaign against illegal drugs, the activities of drug syndicates seemed to have proliferated again.
However, Dela Rosa said, now that the President has given the “green light” to resume the war on drugs, the PNP would just surprise the drug lords who are now celebrating with their nefarious activities.
President Duterte on Monday let the PNP to decide if it is ready to resume anti-drugs operations.
The President also asked the PNP chief to look for “young men with patriotic fervor to serve”.
Dela Rosa assured that the policemen involved in the new campaign against illegal drugs would be meticulously selected, especially so that the PNP’s internal cleansing program is ongoing.
President Duterte stopped the “war on drugs” when it was discovered that some police scalawags in the likes of SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel used the drug campaign to conduct kidnapping and extortion activities.
The group of Sta. Isabel, together with former PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (PNP-AIDG) Region 3 (Central Luzon) director Senior Supt. Rafael Dumlao II, was allegedly behind the abduction in Angeles City, Pampanga and subsequent murder of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo inside Camp Crame, Quezon City on Oct. 18, 2016. Perfecto Raymundo/PNA-northboundasia.com