By Aaron Recuenco
A key official of the Philippine National Police (PNP) is eyeing the inclusion of the elite Special Action Force (SAF) in the campaign against illegal drugs, citing the police commandos’ unquestionable integrity as the key factor amid the shabu recycling allegations that hounded the police force.
PNP Directorial Staff P/Lt. Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar (PHOTO FROM PIO NCRPO / FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN)
But Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, the PNP’s Chief Directorial Staff, said the SAF commandos would only focus on high-value targets, or the big-time drug lords and traffickers whom President Duterte wanted killed.
“I firmly believe that you (SAF commandos) are the most qualified unit to run after big-time drug lords,” said Eleazar in a speech during the graduation of six classes from SAF commando courses.
“The discipline, the bravery and the integrity you have make the you the most qualified warriors that President Duterte have been looking for to finally finish off the illegal drugs problems in the country,” he added.
Earlier, Duterte said he wanted the government’s anti-narcotics units to focus more on big-time drug lords, even declaring that he wanted them all dead.
Drug lords have been responsible for the continuous supply of shabu in the country. A police official earlier said that the Philippines has been consuming at least three tons of shabu every week.
Eleazar said that illegal drugs business is indeed a multi-billion peso industry in the country, which makes drug cartels and drug lords continue to operate despite aggressive government campaign.
“We cannot expect drug lords to easily give it up because it’s a multi-billion peso business. They will fight for it at all cost. The President, on the other hand, is determined to finish this problem,” said Eleazar.
“Illegal drugs are threat to national security and drug lords are the worst enemies of the State. So the President is right, this is already a war,” Eleazar declared.
But the aggressive campaign has always been marred by the involvement of policemen as either protectors of drug syndicates or in drug-recycling activities.
This is the part, according to Eleazar, where the SAF would fit in.
“As members of the police elite force, you are PNP’s last bastion of integrity. The kind of discipline that you have been molded into, the warrior that was brought out from each and everyone of you, and the tried-and-tested integrity that your senior have shown make you the worst nightmare of drug lords,” said Eleazar.
The involvement of SAF that he envisions, according to Eleazar, is more on operations since the intelligence aspect will still be in the hands of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and police anti-narcotics operatives who are trained on it.
SAF commandos are highly-trained in combat and the most equipped in terms of firepower.
Eleazar said that if SAF commandos are deployed to run after drug lords, this would make the illegal drugs campaign more aggressive against high-value targets of the drug operations in the country.
Eleazar, however, said the decision still remains with the President as their Commander-In-Chief.