NEWLY-installed Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde urged the European Parliament on Friday, April 20, to show evidence that supports its claim that the number of people killed in the government’s drug war has already climbed to 12,000.
“Una, hindi natin alam kung saan nila nakuha ‘yung data nila na more than 12,000 daw yata. We really do not know. If they can give us details of those sinasabi nila 12,000 dead, probably we (will) able to check kung totoo ‘yung data nila dahil napakalaki nun (We don't know where they got the data. If we can get the source, then we will be able check, as the number is very high),” he said in a press conference in Camp Crame.
“Bloated kung pagmasdan. Hindi natin alam kung saan galing. Meron nagsasabi 7,000, ngayon 12,000 na naman. Baka bukas nasa 20,000 na yan (It seems bloated. We don't know where it came from. Some say 7,000, now they're saying 12,000. It might become 20,000 tomorrow),” he added.
Earlier, the European Parliament urged the government to stop its war on drugs, saying over 12,000 persons, including women and children, were already killed.
It is yet to issue a resolution, though, and only released its summary to the media.
As reported by the government, 4,075 drug personalities have been killed since the administration launched its war on drugs in July 2016.
Albayalde maintained that the PNP has been transparent and cooperative, especially during the conduct of investigation in the Senate on the alleged extra-judicial killings (EJK) amid the government’s campaign to eradicate illegal drugs in the country.
“Hindi natin naintiindihan at, of course, no less than the CHR (Commission on Human Rights) sinabi na wala pa silang mapatunayan na there is EJK,” he said.
“And kung nakita nyo, we have been transparent ever since. We have attended Senate hearings on this. ‘Yung mga hinihingi nilang data and spot reports, we have already furnished copies during sa Senate hearings, so how can they accuse us for covering up these reports. Hindi pwede yan kasi once you reported that incident, it's covered by an official spot report. Hindi mo na pwedeng baguhin yung spot report na yan because it goes from the station up to the NHQ (national headquarters). Hindi po pwedeng baguhin yan,” he added.
Albayalde urged the European Parliament to provide the PNP with the information of its report for the sake of counter-checking.
For now, he said the PNP will continue its crackdown on illegal drugs and will not change anything.
“As we saw, napakaganda naman ng naging momentum and gains ng Oplan Double Barrel... So why would we stop a program that is very effective,” he said.
In October 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte, for the second time, ordered the PNP to stop participating in the war on drugs due to the involvement of several policemen in the killing of teenagers during the conduct of anti-illegal drug operations.
On December 5, 2017, the PNP was given the green light to again join the crackdown, but this time, they will be under the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), which was appointed as the lead agency for the government’s war on drugs. The PNP also made some revisions and modified its guidelines.
Albayalde, just like former PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa, maintained that the war on drugs will not be bloody if the drug suspects will not engage the cops in a firefight.
“Kung minsan talaga ‘yung mga pulis natin, they just react kung what is presented to them. Hindi natin pwede sabihin sa kanila na hindi sila mag-retaliate kasi kung talaga there is present and clear danger doon sa kanilang operation, then they have to retaliate really, although nakita natin mas careful ‘yung ating mga pulis ngayon,” he said. (SunStar Philippines)