Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to kill policemen who return to the illegal drug trade after facing disciplinary action.
The threat came as it emerged hundreds of allegedly rogue police officers had defied their re-deployment to the restive southern Philippines.
Last week, only 53 out of 310 policemen — 17 per cent — had showed up at Pasay City’s Villamor Airbase for their flight to Basilan, southern Philippines.
“They should be subjected to summary dismissal. I have requested the police to form particularly a squad that will watch over the dismissed policemen,” Duterte said.
“Most of them — the ninja-criminal policemen — are high on the [target] list,” he added.
He warned that he would not spare any renegade officer.
“You will be killed, if you make a mistake, you will be killed. That’s for sure,” Duterte said. “Your wives will be widowed. Don’t fool the government. Do not even try. Do not even think about it.”
Dismissal orders signed
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa said he had signed the dismissal order for hundreds of policemen.
“They were given 15 days to explain at the PNP in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM),” Dela Rosa said, adding that they will be finally dismissed if they fail to give reasonable explanation.
There were no cases filed against them, but their participation in many illegal activities are fully documented, Dela Rosa explained.
The president has been dubbed a strongman in his relentless campaign against illegal drug trade, especially those involving law-enforcement agents, that has killed 7,700 since July.
“Just because you are no longer working in government, you think you will have more freedom to engage in illegal drug trade. That will make you special target,” Duterte ranted in addressing the erring policemen.
‘They will be killed, one by one’
“Do not be surprised if they are killed because they are wanted and so are the police(men) who are dismissed for committing crimes. I’m warning the public especially the media right now, do not be surprised if they are killed one of these days — one by one,” said Duterte, known for not holding back in moments of anger.
Duterte temporarily ordered the scrapping of the PNP’s anti-drug operation after policemen assigned to fight the illegal drug trade were found behind the kidnap-for-ransom of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo from his home in Pampanga, central Luzon last year.
Jee was killed inside the PNP headquarters Camp Crame in suburban Quezon City and was cremated the next day under suspicious circumstances.
Details of the foul play were revealed by low-ranking police officers-turned-witnesses who squealed on police generals involved in the Jee kidnap-for-ransom activity.
Jee’s wife was asked to pay ransom — revealed through ATM transactions and CCTV footage — believing the her husband was still alive.
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