Palace, Senate collide over cops

There will be hell to pay by erring personnel who have tainted the image of the Philippine National Police.

The Palace wanted the Senate to complete its ongoing probe before President Rodrigo Duterte initiates a “formal action” on the two generals he mentioned in one of his addresses in Russia, but Sen. Richard Gordon urged the immediate arrest of the officials.

Gordon, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman, said Mr. Duterte should order the arrest of the two generals he tagged in illegal drug trading and not wait for the probe to be completed.

“If this is brought to the Senate, we will investigate, but if the President already knows who they are, it is better if he orders their arrest and not wait for us,” Gordon said in a radio interview yesterday.

The senator said the President can put the generals under administrative arrest, which is “an arrest by the state without trial.”

The President’s spokesman Salvador Panelo, however, said that “there will be hell to pay” by erring personnel who have tainted the image of the Philippine National Police (PNP), but it would be the President who will make the move.

This, however, will happen only after Congress has wrapped up its probe on the so-called “ninja cops,” accused of being involved in the illegal drugs trade.

“The President continues to monitor developments in the Philippines while he is busy with his commitments in Moscow and Sochi, Russia,” Panelo said in a statement released Saturday.

According to the official, Mr. Duterte will not yield in his unrelenting campaign “against illegal drugs and those who destroy the country,” regardless of whether they are private citizens or work in government.

“As our Chief Executive has mentioned in many occasions, there will be hell to pay for those who become worse than criminals,” stated Panelo.

“The President, however, will let Congress do and finish its investigation in aid of legislation before taking any formal action on the issue of these ‘ninja cops,’” he added.

Panelo noted that the President was referring “to the PNP generals who have been accused to have protected the ‘ninja cops.’”

Prior to departing for Russia, the Chief Executive tasked Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año to conduct his own probe where he will base his next course of action.

The President particularly issued the directive following the controversy now hounding PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde for his alleged intervention in the case of the latter’s former subordinates at the Pampanga Police Office who supposedly made millions from “recycling” seized illegal drugs during a raid back in November 2013.

Mr. Duterte, nonetheless, can exercise an Executive privilege in apprehending the generals.

“He can put them into administrative arrest already and put them into quarters. In fact, even regional commanders can summarily dismiss them and even file a case,” Gordon said.

“This is a rare chance to catch a crook and have them charged and detained,” he said.

There have been speculations that one of the two generals the President was referring to is Albayalde after former PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief and now Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong tagged the former in the anomalous 2013 anti-drug operation in Pampanga involving 13 policemen.

According to Magalong, Albayalde, then chief of the Pampanga police, attempted to block the dismissal of the 13 cops who in the operation seized some 200 kilos of shabu but declared only 38 kilos.

Despite the PNP chief’s denial of the accusations, Gordon said he believes Albayalde has a liability in the anomalous anti-drug operations.

Panelo, nonetheless, said the Senate committee hearing has become political.

Panelo said he could not understand why the Senate Justice Committee probe was making it appear that the administration’s drug war was failing.

“You know, what I don’t like about the Senate investigation… I’m just saying my piece. I cannot even understand why… they’re trying to make it appear that the administration is failing in the drug war. I think it’s being politicized,” he said.