Elinando B. Cinco By Elinando B. Cinco   They do not deserve another day longer in the PNP, then incoming President Duterte declared in his inaugural address in Malacanang. The Chief Executive was referring to policemen linked to the drug menace. In the next 730 days, he issued warnings with the same tone he delivered in July, 2016. The public thought the scoundrels in the PNP, and later on in barangays, had seen their last days in service. It turned out that the erring cops and those wayward community guardians are still very much around. Last week, the President issued again another grim warning: “If you’re into illegal drugs, better leave the PNP.” But the rogue lawmen – he called them “narco-cops” -- are still carrying their guns, receiving their newly increased take-home pay. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced that more than 300 police personnel identified as users and protectors in the traffic of illicit drugs have already been booted out of the service. His listeners were impressed. I may add that in 2017, more than a hundred uniformed policemen found involved in various crimes were deployed to Basilan, Davao and Zamboanga. The President told his field generals: “Throw them to the battlefield to fight Abu Sayyaf, the BIFF, and the NPAs.” I do not have information on whether their tour of duty in Mindanao has ended and the scamps have returned to their respective units. Or, the evaluation of their performance. But one regular habitue of a Quezon City coffee club sniffed: “For sure they had more than their fill of the freshest tuna from the Davao Gulf and the tastiest “curacha” from the Zamboanga peninsula.” Another snapped back: “They’re lucky. The President has warned that the next batch of police scalawags that will be sent to Mindanao will be fed to those giant crocodiles in Davao del Sur and Surigao del Sur. In a report last week, the President admitted the continued presence of scoundrels in the PNP in the drug trade, while also confirming that there are some NBI agents engaged in the same unlawful trading, or protection. President Duterte and PNP chief Director General Ronaldo Bato are angry and embarrassed over the reports. In a sense, some policemen and barangay officials go together - they defy admonitions and the portents of spending a long time in jail. There are some 9,000 barangay officials in the so-called “narco list.” This situation worries LGUs because their presence will besmirch the credibility of the scheduled barangay election in May, and even influence its results. DILG Undersecretary Martin Dino who handles the barangay affairs matters is genuinely concerned. Records in that department and in the PDEA showed 289 officials, 143 chairmen and 146 kagawads are on the take.