THERE is no longer a syndicate of “ninja cops” in the Philippine National Police (PNP) but "scalawags" or erring cops who operate on their own still exist, said PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde.
"'Yung sinasabi natin na ninja cops, this is a syndicate way back nung wala pa si President (Rodrigo) Duterte. Totoo may nakikita, may nahuhuli, mga kilo kilo. Ang dito kasi ngayon, ang nakikita natin there are scalawags on uniform that are working on their own...," he said.
He assured though that these scalawags are being looked into.
“Noon kasi kapag sinabi mong ninja cop, it's a big syndicate and really based on our investigation and history, nag-start yan sa MPD (Manila Police District) noon hanggang kumalat sila sa buong Metro Manila. I don't know how pero ganun ang nangyari based on our investigation pero ngayon kung makita natin... This is not a syndicate anymore, that's why we are trying out to weed out. Kapag na-identify ka, we conduct case surveillance and buildup,” he added.
Albayalde said the existence of these erring cops was the primary reason behind the creation of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group, the anti-scalawag unit of the PNP.
He said at least 22 alleged ninja cops are still being monitored by the PNP.
Albayalde made the statement amid the issue about ninja cops who allegedly recycle illegal drugs.
It was Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief, who revealed during a Senate hearing on the implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance that some cops were involved in the recycling and reselling of illegal drugs.
But Albayalde said he submitted to Duterte over 700 names of policemen who were reportedly involved in the illegal drug trade.
He said earlier that it would be up to the President now whether to release the names or not. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)