THE SUDDEN ANNOUNCEMENT of the names of five generals involved in coddling/protecting drug lords and pushers and possibly perpetrators of crime and illegal activities in the country stunned the audience at the turnover (change of command) ceremonies at Air Force City, Clark, Pampanga and the entire nation by no less than President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
In his speech at the said turnover ceremonies, the President read from a list of suspected coddlers/protectors of the drug lords and hinted that there generals might be part of a massive syndicate peddling drugs and sourcing these from other countries. The huge shabu haul in Claveria, Cagayan amounting to almost a billion pesos only heightened the pressure to dig in other parts of the country for more shabu shipments brought into the country by sea and under the very noses of high-ranking officials and police authorities.
Now that the names have been bared, the implications of such presidential revelation follow: the individuals named and their families felt the brunt of the expose and considered their names and reputations tarnished irreparably and are now crying for retribution, the institution to where these generals belong has also been damaged and it may take some time before the glitter is restored.
Considering the gravity of the offense being attributed to the generals, Congress might weigh in and start an investigation into the matter plus, of course, the other investigative bodies including the National Police Commission which perforce should conduct parallel or separate investigations.
It took President Duterte to expose the shenanigans of the five generals. I suppose their involvement is deeply rooted and may have transpired in previous administrations until the expose by the tough-talking president. Other police officials might be involved considering the tentacles grown by syndicates through the years they were not apprehended. Now that the hornets' nests have been stirred, disturbed and obliterated, every drug lord, pusher and addict is on his toes for possible arrest, detention or summary killing. Imagine, the country is 92% infested with illegal drugs and no one is moving to arrest the situation, till Duterte. And now, the end is near for the drug dealers and the lords, who would be unceremoniously defrocked!
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The fallout from malicious imputations is disheartening. Those identified as involved in crimes have little chance of being vindicated and are at a disadvantage.
The harm has been inflicted on them already. What happens now to the legal precept of being presumed innocent until proven culpable or guilty? Shame.