THE Manila Police District is investigating 16 local and national government officials in Manila, including police officers, suspected to be involved in illegal drugs.
This followed Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada’s order to MPD director Sr. Supt. Joel Coronel to hasten the operation against 16 “high-value” targets (HVTs) to serve as example to other unscrupulous city officials that are into drugs.
“Government officials involved in drugs do not deserve any mercy. They’re even worse than the ordinary street pushers because they took an oath to uphold the law and serve the people,” a visibly disgusted Estrada said.
Estrada assured Coronel of his full support in the police drive against the 16 HVTs.
“We will support you all the way. We will provide whatever you need, so long as these targets are put behind bars,” he told Coronel.
Recently, Estrada procured P20 million worth of brand new firearms for the MPD police on top of the P45-million fund he released for the allowance of the 4,652-strong city police force.
Since his assumption to office in 2013, he has allotted P1.9 billion for crime prevention program, which includes P136 million in back allowances of MPD members and the procurement of 41 new mobile patrol cars and 110 electric personal transporters.
Coronel said the 16 HVTs, whom he described as “public servants,” are from the Manila City Hall, barangay, national government offices based in Manila, and from the Philippine National Police.
“They’re both elected and appointed [officials]. Some are drug users, coddlers, traffickers, or protectors, including [those] from the PNP,” Coronel bared.
“We have been monitoring them. Once we are done with the validation…we will conduct an operation—either entrapment, arrest or neutralization,” he said.
Asked how they identified the 16, the MPD chief said other arrested drug suspects, and those who surrendered, provided most of the information, supported by records from the MPD’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Division and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the past two weeks, 38 drug suspects have been arrested while 200 surrendered in the MPD’s sustained anti-drug and criminality operations.