DAVAO City Mayor Sebastian Duterte wants President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to take a stand on the recent relief of 35 Davao City Police Office (DCPO) personnel, including the city police director, who were allegedly involved in the city’s bloody “war on drugs.”
He also wants to hear Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Albur's take on the issue.
“I would like to get a comment from DILG, and maybe the President [Marcos] on what he thinks on this issue because these are hardworking policemen that they are questioning,” Duterte said right after the turnover of over 500 brand-new luggage trolleys to the Davao International Airport on Monday, May 27.
The mayor said the personnel involved “have good track records and they have served the people of Davao since they became policemen.”
“This event or action coming to the region is extraordinary. Because usually, pag may mga ganitong issues, they usually question the one who is in charge, but not this amount, so daghan ang na-relieve dayon without, I think kulang sila'g preliminaries,” Duterte said.
Duterte said he is communicating with the DILG to convey this message to them. This despite the agency, through the regional level, already commented on the matter.
To recall, during the turnover ceremony at DCPO Headquarters at Camp Leonor Domingo in San Pedro Street on March 22, Duterte vowed to kill those who are actively involved in illegal drugs.
This was the day Police Colonel Richard Bad-ang, currently among those relieved, was installed as city director.
Despite his declaration, the youngest son of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who also declared war on drugs during his six-year presidency, reiterated that he never ordered the police to kill while conducting drug operations.
“I declared [war on] drugs, but [I] never told anyone, I never ordered anybody from the police to do anything. It was a declaration coming from me, and I said kung may papatay, ako 'yun. Kung may mamatay, ako 'yan," Duterte said.
PRO responds
The Police Regional Office-Davao Region (PRO-Davao) said the recent relief of the 35 DCPO personnel was based on the recommendation of the Regional Internal Affairs Service-Davao Region (RIAS-Davao) to place these personnel under administrative relief.
“Such action was not taken lightly, but with thorough deliberation and with profound consideration of all facts and surrounding circumstances of RIAS[-Davao] investigation with the end view of ascertaining the truth,” PRO-Davao said.
“It must be noted, however[,] that this is in accordance with the observance of the procedural due process aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability of public officers,” the police office added.
The PRO-Davao and Philippine National Police (PNP) Internal Affairs Service assured the public that the investigation will run “justly and fairly.”
In response to PRO-Davao’s statement, Duterte said in a statement, that the relief has raised “significant concerns” within the community and among the law enforcement officers.
“It is important to ask why such a sweeping measure is necessary when other regions have addressed similar situations with more targeted investigations. In those instances, only the commanding officers or those immediately involved in the incidents were scrutinized, allowing the rest of the personnel to continue their duties uninterrupted. Why is a different standard being applied in Davao City?” Duterte said.
He said this action raises questions about the consistency and fairness of the disciplinary process.
“If the goal is to ensure accountability and transparency, a more focused approach would better serve these principles without causing widespread disruption,” the mayor said, adding that relieving all 35 personnel “without distinguishing individual level of involvement or responsibility seems unjust and may erode trust within the ranks of our police force.”
Duterte, in the ambush interview, called it an “extraordinary move to do this to their own personnel.”
“It's not a crime that's katulad ng police being corrupt or police abusing his power or police harming people for their benefit,” the mayor said.
Being a vocal critic of the Marcos Jr. administration, he was asked if the recent event was “politically motivated,” he responded, “Pwede naman. We can behave like children, and pretend that this is not politically motivated.”
He also emphasized that the police are just defending themselves against those involved in illegal drugs.
"Tan-aw nako it's not worth it. The time and the resources of the PNP to look into this because there are a lot of problems in the Philippines [to address],” he said. RGL