MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday that 216 of the 25,134 police men and women who have undergone drug tests in 2008 were found positive for illegal drugs.
PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome said the police have been conducting random drug tests among police officers even before President Arroyo’s directive to wage an all-out war on illegal drugs.
Bartolome said 82 of the policemen that tested positive for drug use have been dismissed from the service while 24 others were suspended, and five policemen resigned from January to December 2008.
He said 79 police officers are now undergoing summary dismissal proceedings.
“The target of the PNP in its random drug test for this year is 25 percent of the total PNP personnel. Right now we have a total of 125,000 members of the PNP. Rest assured that we will continue to put up a united effort in the campaign against illegal drugs,” Bartolome added.
PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa ordered the revision of the PNP’s anti-drug strategy to address systematic issues on the overall management, supervision and support to PNP drug units.
“This is in line with the marching orders of President Arroyo to wage a fiercer war on illegal drugs in her speech during the PNP anniversary celebration,” said Verzosa. “The PNP have already intensified our anti-drug operations after taking the cue from the President’s pronouncement. Now, we are initiating some programs that may lead to the redirection of the PNP’s anti-drug efforts.”
Director Raul Bacalzo, chief of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management and commander of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF), said that these anti-drug efforts can contribute effectively and yield a more positive response to the challenges of addressing illegal drugs.
Records showed for the period of Jan. 1 to Feb. 6 this year, police conducted some 311 operations in the different regions, resulting in the arrest of 723 drug users and pushers as well as the filing of 613 cases. In the same period, a total of P208,951,397 worth of illegal drugs was seized.
Bacalzo also cited the PNP-AIDSOTF raid on an abandoned chemical warehouse in Sitio Umalad, Barangay 4 in Roxas, Palawan last Jan. 23, wherein equipment and chemicals used in the manufacture of illegal drugs with the estimated value of P1.2 million were confiscated.
The operation resulted in the filing of charges against three alleged members of a foreign drug syndicate identified as Xu Quing Jiang alias Lucio Co Ong, alias Lito Zhang and alias Jackson Sy. A case was also filed against their local contacts identified as Danny Buena and Jimmy Aborot for violation of Republic Act 9165.
“A One-Strike Policy will be applied to PNP unit commanders who fail to lead anti-drug operations in their respective areas of jurisdiction,” Bacalzo added.