Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III finds the request of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos for courtesy resignation of all Philippine National Police (PNP) generals and colonels amid possible illegal drugs links as ‘’very strange and too broad.’’
Pimentel, a former Senate president, said Abalos' request also affects those who are truly innocent and even those who are outstanding in their jobs.
‘’Why not pursue the matter on a case to case basis? Identify the crooked and prosecute them. Those who protect the crooked are “in conspiracy” with them and should be charged too under the conspiracy theory,’’ he added.
In a press conference this Wednesday, Abalos said that asking for the courtesy resignation of PNP officials might be the quickest way for the country to address the drug menace that has infiltrated the police force.
Abalos also clarified that this is not a mandatory order, saying that he is “appealing” to the colonels and generals to make the move.
This is not the first time that generals were said to be part of the drug syndicate.
Then former president Rodrigo Duterte had mentioned several names of PNP generals that are supposedly part of the multi-billion-peso illegal drug trade during his term.
RELATED STORY: https://mb.com.ph/2023/01/04/abalos-asks-all-pnp-colonels-generals-to-resign-amid-ninja-cops-resurgence/