PNP chief Dionardo Carlos yesterday assured the public that the police force is not tolerating its men who commit abuses in the ongoing campaign against illegal drugs.
Carlos made the assurance days after presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former PNP chief, said the police force need not resort to extra-judicial means to solve the country’s drug problem.
Last Monday, Lacson said President Duterte should have capitalized on his “popularity and the people’s support” to implement his administration’s all-out war against illegal drugs “without the PNP having to resort to ‘extra-judicial’ means — at least in the early years of the campaign.
“That said, I have no reason to doubt his sincerity and firm resolve to end the decades-old problem of illegal drugs without the prospect of being haled to court, worse the International Criminal Court,” Lacson said.
Carlos said the PNP respects the observation of Lacson.
“I respect the statement or the observation of the good senator. At the end of the day, we are performing our duties… At the end of the day, we respect the observation,” Carlos said in a press briefing in Camp Crame.
“If there will be inputs that would help us, we will welcome it and continue this campaign against illegal drugs,” said Carlos, adding the war on drugs is not only the fight of the PNP and of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency but of every Filipino.
Carlos said there is a “legal order” for policemen to go after illegal drugs but said “if there is violation of the police operational procedures or of the law, they will be held accountable.”
“We bring it before the court,” Carlos said.
He said the PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS) is conducting investigation against policemen involved in such abuses.
“We believe in our justice system, it’s working that’s why we are affirming our commitment (to the justice system),” said Carlos.
