PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde has ordered the relief of the officers linked by President Rodrigo Duterte to the rampant illegal drugs activities in the country, PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent Benigno Durana said Wednesday, October 10.

“Before pa lumabas, (ang matrix) alam na ng chief PNP kaya agad-agad ni-relieve sa critical or sensitive units (ang mga pulis na involved) gaya ng PDEG (Police Drug Enforcement Group). Inatasan niya si (PDEG Director Albert) Ferro na i-relieve sila at inassign sa ibang units... ’yung iba nasa regions 2, 3, 4 at ‘yung dalawa nasa Armm, lalo na senior officer,” said Durana.

The police officers on the matrix released by the President on Wednesday, October 10, were dismissed officer Eduardo Acierto, Senior Superintendent Leonardo Suan, Superintendents Ismael Fajardo Jr. and Lorenzo Bacia, Police Inspectors Lito Pirote and Conrado Caragdag and Senior Police Officer 4 Alejandro Gerardo Liwanag, who were all members of the PDEG.

Acierto, who had the rank of Senior Superintendent, was ordered dismissed from the service by the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly dipping his hands into the controversial case of the missing 1,004 AK-47s, which allegedly ended up in the hands of the communist New People’s Army.

Durana said the PNP has intelligence information on the alleged illegal drugs involvement of the said officials but they have yet to file charges against them.

“So far this is an intelligence information, continuing ang ating investigation hindi lamang ‘yung regular investigation natin pati na rin ‘yung counter intelligence operations... So far wala pang cases filed against them... since an intelligence information is inadmissible in court but definitely a case build up and thorough investigation is in motion right after we relieved based on the order of chief Albayalde,” he said.

“There are a lot of ways to monitor their activities. The moment they were relieved and taken from sensitive positions inatasan na ng pamunuan ‘yung (monitoring ng) territorial activities while the investigation is ongoing,” he added. (SunStar Philippines)