Philippine National Police (PNP) chief PGen. Guillermo Eleazar instructed all chiefs of police to update their list of priority targets following an order from President Rodrigo Duterte to intensify the campaign against illegal drugs.
The order came after law enforcement units seized around 809 kilograms of crystallized methamphetamine, locally known as shabu, in a series of operations in Zambales, Bataan and Cavite.
Eleazar stressed that the confiscated narcotics prove that illegal drug syndicates still have a market in the Philippines, and the PNP needs to step up its campaign down to the community with the distributors or the sellers as the priority targets.
“Hindi nagpahinga ang mga sindikato ng droga kahit sa panahon ng pandemya kaya hinihikayat ko din ang ating mga stakeholders at community partners na tulungan kami sa laban na ito," Eleazar said on Monday, September 13, in a statement.
Eleazar also assured that the PNP will also go after rogue cops involved in the illegal drug trade.
The PNP chief provided assurance after a buy-bust operation on Friday, September 10, in Gerona, Tarlac led to the arrest of PCpl. Geymar Orquero, whom police tagged as a protector and financier of some drug pushers in the area.
Eleazar vowed to dismiss Orquero from service.
"We assure our kababayan that we will not tolerate abuses and wrongdoings in our ranks in our aggressive campaign against illegal drugs just like what we have shown in the last five years when hundreds of our personnel were dismissed from the service for illegal drugs involvement," he said.
