POLICE Chief Roland dela Rosa on Thursday heeded a senator’s call to appoint a qualified civilian to head his agency’s Internal Affairs Service.
Senator Grace Poe, during a joint-committee hearing, repeated her call on the PNP to appoint a civilian as head of its IAS, saying a number of policemen were reportedly also involved in the illegal drug trade.
Dela Rosa made his decision even as three soldiers died aiding the police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the campaign against illegal drugs.
Navy Petty Officer 3 Darwin Espallardo, Corporal Jose Miravalles, and Private First Class Jaypee Duran died when they were fired upon as they entered a village in Midsayap, North Cotabato, to serve a an arrest warrant to a group of big-time drug traffickers.
They were the first casualties of the Philippine Navy after President Rodrigo Rodrigo Duterte declared an all-out war against illegal drugs.
Another suspect allegedly involved in illegal drugs was shot dead by Manila police during a shootout in Tondo, Manila, before midnight Wednesday.
The police said they recovered a .30 cal. pistol and six sachets containing suspected shabu from the suspect.
Two drug pushers were arrested and an estimated P2.7 million worth of shabu was recovered from them during a buy-bust operation Thursday in Golden Ribbon, Butuan City, said Supt. Agosto Daskeo, regional chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna on Thursday led city councilors in a surprise drug test aimed at ridding the city government of officials who might be hooked on illegal drugs.
After submitting himself to the drug test, Estrada said he would not hesitate to dismiss and file criminal and administrative charges against any city hall official testing positive for illegal drugs.
Poe earlier this month filed Senate Resolution 70 to look into the continued non-implementation of the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998, which mandates that the IAS head be a civilian.
Dela Rosa had told her that he thought it best to keep a cop as IAS head since appointing a civilian as IAS head could threaten his safety.
But Poe said the PNP leadership should abide by the law.
“We would like to acknowledge that the campaign against drugs is very important. On the other hand, we also have to maintain the rule of law and make sure that the rights of every individual are protected,” Poe said. With Sandy Araneta and Florante S. Solmerin
