177 Metro Manila cops face drug charges — Marcos

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that 177 police officers in Metro Manila have been charged with drug-related cases following an anti-narcotics campaign focused on law enforcers. 

Offenses of Metro Manila cops include planting of evidence, unlawful arrest and excessive violence, Marcos said Monday. 

In July 2023, police officers quit their posts after Marcos said in his second State of the Nation Address that he would accept the resignation of “unscrupulous law enforcers and others involved in the highly nefarious drug trade.”

The president earlier promised to address the country’s illegal drug issue by focusing on treatment and rehabilitation. Marcos previously criticized the violent approach of Rodrigo Duterte to tackling illegal drug use. 

Duterte's campaign resulted in over 6,000 deaths, according to official government figures, while independent monitoring by human rights groups suggests a significantly higher toll, reaching up to 30,000.

But groups such as Human Rights Watch said that “drug war” killings continue under Marcos, albeit at a “lower rate” than his predecessor.

Marcos also reported that his government is “pursuing 151,818 court cases by the Department of Justice in 2022 to 2023.” Around 121,582 offenders have been placed behind bars.

He added that his administration has confiscated around P10.41 billion worth of illegal drugs last year, and cleared more than 27,000 barangays of narcotics.  — Gaea Katreena Cabico