THE Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) is gearing up for the resumption of anti-illegal drug operations, a city police official said Wednesday, March 1.
Cocpo spokesperson Mardy Hortillosa II said the Maharlika headquarters is reviewing all drug-related data archived after President Rodrigo Duterte pulled out the police from the war on drugs almost a month ago.
“Naa ra mana ang data, amo na lang na i-review (The data is just there so we will just review it),” Hortillosa said.
Hortillosa added they are drafting new strategies on how to execute the government's war on drugs, this time, including re-constituting the City Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force (CAIDTF).
The Cocpo spokesperson said they want to make sure the drug operations will be carried out according to the guidelines and intentions of the President and the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief.
“Nangandam nami and naghulat na lang mi sa order ug sa dugang guidelines diha sa order kung unsa pay lain intervention diha sa pag-implement sa war on drugs (We are getting ready and we are just waiting for the order and further guidelines in the re-implementation of the war on drugs),” Hortillosa said.
Duterte told PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa on Tuesday, February 28, to tap new policemen to take part in the fight against illegal drugs.
Hortillosa said they welcome the idea of involving young cops in the drug operations but said it may take some time for the new policemen to gain experience.
“Ang fight sa drugs kinahanglan og experience so pwede naay bag-ong police naa pud mga experienced nga maayo ang record (We can have both young and experienced policemen who have no bad record in the fight against drugs),” Hortillosa said.
Hortillosa clarified the personnel from CAIDTF who were distributed in different units when it was dissolved a month ago may be recalled if they have no derogatory records.
The Police Regional Office (PRO)-Northern Mindanao is currently conducting a lifestyle checks on five policemen in the region who were included in President Duterte’s drug list, a source who declined to be named said.
The five policemen, according to the police source, are composed of three officials with the rank of superintendent, chief inspector, and senior inspector and two non-commissioned officers.
The cops were previously assigned in Misamis Occidental, Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental, and have been transferred to the Personnel and Holding Accounting Unit in Camp Crame to answer to administrative charges.
They were relieved days after Duterte linked members of the judiciary, police and government officials in the illegal drug trade.
“Naay lima ka PNP naapil sa list ni President. Automatic ang validation and lifestyel check. Dili ko sure aha na-assign and duha ka PNCO [police non-commissioned officers] (There are five PNP included in the list of the president. The validation and lifestyle check will proceed automatically. I am not sure where the two PNCO were previously assigned),” the source said.
While the five policemen are facing their cases at the PNP national headquarters, the PRO is continually conducting validation and lifestyle check to verify alleged ill gotten wealth.
The real and other properties of the policemen like houses and vehicles, among others, will be checked to determine if they are living within their means.