Davao City (CNN Philippines) — President Rodrigo Duterte says rogue policemen may have pocketed their budgets intended for buy-bust operations.
Responding to an Amnesty International report claiming that policemen are being paid to kill drug suspects, the President said cops claiming such likely kept the thousands given to them for entrapment operations against drug traffickers.
Read: War vs. poor: Police paid per drug killing – Amnesty International
Duterte said, “Bakit kita bayaran? Ang ibig mong sabihin, binulsa mo yang singko mil o diyes mil, depending on the amount of the transaction, binulsa mo, pinatay mo yung drug pusher diyan. Kinuha mo yung droga, pinagbili mo ulit. Kaya iniiwan niyo diyan patay.”
[Translation: Why should I pay you? You mean, you took the ₱5,000 or ₱10,000 – depending on the amount of the transaction – you pocketed it, you killed the drug pusher. You took the drugs and sold it again. That’s why you leave them there dead.]
He added, “Itong mga ‘to, binigyan daw sila ng singko mil. Pambili ng droga yan so that there could be a buy-bust. Kuha ninyo? Hindi yan palabasin basta magkapkap nalang. They go out to buy then hulihin ka because that is really trafficking. Buy and sell of drugs. Kung walang mga pera yan, anong ibibili niya? Bayag nila?“
[Translation: These people, they were allegedly given P5,000 to buy drugs so that there could be a buy-bust. Do you understand? They will not go out just to frisk people. They go out to buy, then they’ll make an arrest because that is really trafficking. Buy and sell of drugs. If they had no money, what would they use to buy? Their balls?]
President Duterte said this problem should prompt PNP Chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to look into how the anti-illegal drugs division has used its budget.
He said he gave the anti-drugs unit a ₱150 million budget this year.
He said, “So it is now up to Bato to make an accounting of where the money went. What is spent or what is pocketed. And what was the scheme.”
The President lambasted Amnesty International for condemning his anti-drug campaign without understanding the country’s widespread drug problem.
He said, “Ito ring Amensty (International) so naïve and so stupid. Why would we kill people? Ano itong gobyernong ito? Taga patay ng parang aso [Is that what they believe this government is? We kill people like dogs]? There has to be a reason. Find out the reason and find out the truth. You do not ask government, you just go ahead and publish anything you want. And it’s easy to condemn because people judge best when they condemn.”
No retraining for rogue cops
Duterte also thumbed down Dela Rosa’s plan to have errant police undergo retraining.
He said all rogue cops will be suspended and wants them to report to him in Malacañang.
He said, “Yung sabi ni Bato na na mag retraining? No. They will be suspended – all of them. Tapos magreport sila diyan sa Malacañang, diyan sa opisina ko. Magtindig sila lahat diyan until I decide what to do with them. Bakit ko iretraining yan? To be more… a better scalawag than what you are? T”*****a kayong mga pulis kayo, l***e.”
[Translation: Bato’s suggestion of retraining? No. They will all be suspended. Then I want them to report to my office in Malacañang. Stand at attention until I decide what to do with them. Why should I retrain them? To become better scalawags? Screw them.]
Read: Duterte seeks PNP revamp to get rid of corrupt cops
The PNP previously said that more than 387 erring policemen will undergo “reformative training” in Camp Crame amid the ongoing cleansing of its ranks.
