‘We’re cleaning their mess’

I don’t know why and the problem was it was opened in the Senate.

On target Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde sets his sight on enlightening the nation about the true score on the so-called ‘ninja cops’ in the next Senate hearing. AFP

Fort Del Pilar, Baguio City — Saying that the current Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership is clearing the mess of the past, head of the police force Gen. Oscar Albayalde said the problem of recycling seized narcotics has been eradicated.

“This is tagging already. So we always say the ‘ninja’ cops way back the term of Senator Bato (former PNP Chief Ronald de la Rosa) has been nearly walloped. It is gone and like I said, the ninja cops never existed during our time. We inherited that and now we are cleaning their mess,” he added.

While there are individual scalawags in the force who were caught selling seized narcotics, they did not exist as part of a complex syndicate that is referred to as “ninja cops.”

Albayalde, who is set to testify before the Senate hearing set Tuesday next week, said he will tell all during the hearing as he added the allegations raised on him were all rehashed.

In an interview following the testimonial parade rendered by the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) to him in relation to his forthcoming retirement from the police service on 8 November, Albayalde thanked Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año for his continued trust and support despite persistent reports linking him to illegal drugs.

“Well, I would like to thank the secretary and of course I briefed him already on the real situation. I think this is a recycled thing,” Albayalde told reporters.

“I don’t know why and the problem was it was opened in the Senate. But I have so many times already explained this and these are all covered with documents, and if they claim that those found guilty were brought back, then we can cite how we monitor these people in our ranks,” he said.

Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate Committees on Justice and Human Rights and Blue Ribbon, hinted that both Albayalde and former PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Director and now Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong will be invited to the 1 October resumption of the inquiry into the so-called “ninja cops” involved in recycling of seized illegal drugs. Gordon clarified Albayalde would be invited to the hearing not to be investigated but as a resource person since he is the chief PNP.

Albayalde earlier felt alluded to by insinuations that a top PNP official was involved in the illegal drugs trade.

“We will tell all of that in the Senate because every now and then, or every time or repeatedly, I have already said how we monitored these so-called ninja cops,” he said.

He added a former Deputy Regional Director for Operations in Central Luzon, retired Brig. Gen. Manuel Gaerlan, who led the investigation when he was implicated in drug recycling, is ready to testify and back him up.

Gaerlan has volunteered to help him by testifying about the accusations thrown against him as old and rehashed.

“He is willing to testify since he was the one who led the investigation so that everybody will be cleared. If I’m the only one speaking, it will all be self-serving. I think somebody has to explain this, not me, not them, not anybody else but somebody who is not interested in this case,” Albayalde said.

“Yes, he volunteered because he knows everything. He handled the investigation through the order of then General Raul Petrasanta,” he added.

Albayalde added that no meeting had transpired between him and Magalong since he arrived in Baguio City last Thursday.

He also said that as far as he knows there is no animosity between him and Magalong and that he is ready to face him in the Senate if he will be there.

“If he’s there, I don’t know if he was invited. On my side, there’s no animosity. I don’t know on his side. On my side, what you see is what you get,” he added.

Gordon said the Senate will have to wait and see if the President will announce the names of the rogue policemen, but he said that they will be made public during the Senate inquiry since some them were already summoned.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the President is very interested to know the ninja cops list, “so we gave him the list through Sen. Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go.”

“So on Tuesday, most probably Gordon will reveal (their names),” he indicated.

Gordon said, however, that the President has the first crack on revealing their identities prior to the Tuesday session.

“That’s correct, the President can announce it if he wants to. The police who are involved are under him directly, like what he did to (former Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor) Faeldon in removing him so let us wait what will happen until Tuesday,” according to Gordon.

The senator confirmed that the naming of the policemen pointed to by Magalong may happen Tuesday and that the Senate may call them beforehand since time is of the essence.

“That is our intention, to call them so that the Senate can have jurisdiction over them and for them to talk and confront each other,” Gordon said.

“Definitely some of those mentioned are high-ranking. I have to commend Magalong for his courage when he appeared before us,” he noted.