Police official defends precinct commander in Pasig shabu ‘tiangge’ operation

A police official who requested anonymity said yesterday that the police precinct commander in Pasig City has no culpability in the raided shabu tiangge.

He said the main government agency tasked to go after illegal drugs is the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) has only a supporting role.

A police precinct commander, he added, has no business going after illegal drugs and if they do so, they must be armed with a PDEA deputation.

"Not all policemen can arrest those involved in illegal drugs. They can only do so once sanctioned by PDEA," the police official stressed.

The lack of funding from the PDEA, he said, led to the failure of anti-illegal drugs operations all over the country.

Police Community Precinct 20 commander Senior Inspector Salvador de la Cruz was the first to be relieved after elements of the police Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) raided the shabu tiangge in Pasig City last Feb. 10.

At least 20 other police officials, including former Eastern Police District (EPD) director Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela and former Pasig City police chief Superintendent Raul Medina, were sacked because of the failure of the police team in the locality to detect the illegal operations.

De la Cruz was among the first batch of 65 Pasig City policemen sent for a 15-day re-training in Subic, Zambales.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is investigating the administrative and operational lapses of the 21 policemen while AIDSOTF commander Director Marcelo Ele Jr. is probing the involvement of police and local officials on the illegal operations.

NCRPO intelligence chief Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas Jr. said Valenzuela, Medina and the other sacked policemen have submitted their statements on the incident.

"All of them claimed they were not remiss on their duties because they conducted raids in the area prior to the AIDSOTF raid," Rojas told The Star.

Rojas stressed that De la Cruz was being investigated because of his failure to report to his superiors the operation of the drug tiangge.

The NCRPO intelligence chief said they are now validating the statements of the 21 police officials before submitting their recommendations to Metro police chief Director Vidal Querol.

"I’m not clearing anyone of them, including De la Cruz, as yet. I’m validating their report and would ask them to submit supplementary statements if necessary," said Rojas. — Non Alquitran