DAVAO CITY — The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) has ordered all police station commanders to prepare for the possible return of anti-illegal drugs campaign to the Philippine National Police (PNP) from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
This after President Rodrigo Duterte said he was thinking of returning the task to curb illegal drugs to the police.
DCPO spokesperson Sr. Insp. Maria Teresita Gazpan on Tuesday said DCPO director Sr. Supt. Alexander Tagum already ordered all station commanders to prepare again the previous cases for their future operations.
“The case build-ups are still pending but we gave it to PDEA and these targets are not yet arrested until now that’s why will follow them as soon as the campaign will be given back to us, ” she said.
Gaspan said PDEA enforcers are still successful in arresting illegal drug suspects despite the lack of operatives. But, she said it is different when the PNP is part of the campaign.
“The PDEA gets big accomplishments but unlike the PNP, we can make many operations in a day. We can make three to four operations in a place per day,” she said.
She said although the PNP arrested small-time drug suspects, it still helps the campaign of Duterte on eradicating illegal drugs in the country.
In a press briefing on Monday, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque bared that he heard Duterte again in a meeting last week that the president is inclined to give back the war on drugs to PNP.
“But he has not transferred it yet to the PNP again. I guess, until the document is signed by him (Duterte) it remains with PDEA,” he said.
Roque said he would seek clarification from the president regarding his plan to return the campaign to PNP.
“But, let us not pressure him either way. That is presidential discretion, prerogative,” he said. (Armando Fenequito Jr/PNA)
