MANILA, Philippines — Presidential spokesperson and chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo said in a Tuesday press briefing that the ninja cops controversy has no impact on the credibility of the Duterte administration’s drug war.
“[U]nang una, na-expose sila (ninja cops)... Nasira na, na-derail na yung kanilang programa,” Panelo said.
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(First, the ninja cops have been exposed… their program was ruined and derailed.)
The presidential spokesperson also downplayed the gravity of the ninja cops issue.
“Ilan lang ba…13 out of so many thousands of PNP? Kapiranggot lang yun,” he said.
(How many cops were involved...13 out of so many thousands of PNP? That’s inconsequential.)
Former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief and now Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said PNP chief Oscar Albayalde intervened in the dismissal of 13 police officers accused of recycling around 162 kilos of shabu seized in a raid.
Panelo also maintained the drug war’s success, saying that shabu factories have been dismantled and many have been arrested.
“The fact is the president has dismantled many drug apparatus in this country and jailed many police scalawags involved in drug operation,” he said.
“[The government] arrested many people involved in pushing illegal drugs… and many have surrendered, many have been rehabilitated.”
There are more than 5,000 recorded killings in the government's drug war as of 2019, but human rights advocates claim the death toll may have already exceeded 20,000.
A study from the Columbia Journalism School also found that police figures underreport drug war killings.