PHILIPPINE National Police chief General Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. yesterday underscored the need to subject anti-narcotics policemen to stricter vetting to ensure they are not involved directly or indirectly in any illegal drug activities past or present.

The top cop said he wants a continuing thorough vetting or screening in particular of members of Drug Enforcement Units whether in the PNP National Headquarters or the Regional, Provincial, City and Municipal DEUs.

A former PNP Director for Intelligence, Gen. Acorda said that he has ordered all concerned commanders to further step-up their counter-intelligence aimed at ferreting out misfits and scalawags in the 228,000-strong police force.

He also maintained that although they have a list of some 3,000 police officers and men involved in illicit activities including the so-called ‘bangketa/hulidap’ and other robbery-extortion cases related to illegal drug operations, majority of the police force remain hardworking and disciplined policemen who are performing their duties to keep the streets safe round the clock.

Gen. Acorda said they are also mulling the possibility of abolishing all Special Operations Unit of different PNP regional and provincial offices as well as national operational support units amid their ongoing internal cleansing.

Officers and men of these SOUs just like those assigned in PNP anti-narcotics units will also be subjected to an honest-to-goodness vetting process.

According to PNP spokesperson, Colonel Jean Fajardo, officers assigned to DEUs need to be subjected to a thorough vetting process including a serious background investigation. She said there is also a need to transfer anti-narcotics officers to other units if he has been there for so many years since there will always be the possibility that they may be ‘eaten’ by the corrupt system.

The purported involvement of some police officers and men in illegal drugs triggered the move by Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ C. Abalos Jr. to call on all 3rd-Level PNP Officers to tender their courtesy resignations before President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. last January.

“We have talked in the PNP and upon consultation with my men coming from different ranks and units, I do believe that the conduct of the investigation will somehow answer all the questions about the gray areas on what happened,” said Gen. Acorda.

The top cop said the PNP will welcome whatever will be the result of the Napolcom and the 5-Man Advisory Group investigation on the matter.

Acorda has assured both Houses of Congress of an intensified PNP internal cleansing program under his command.

The top cop particularly welcomed calls by the Philippine Senate led by Senate President Juan Miguel ‘Migz’ F. Zubiri and the House of Representatives led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin F. Romualdez of his strong resolve to lead the massive house-cleaning of the police force.

“The Philippine National Police gratefully acknowledges the support of the Senate and the House of Representatives in all ongoing internal cleansing efforts of the organization. We assure our Honorable Senators and Congressmen that all measures are in place to prevent every possible opportunity for irregularities to be committed by police personnel and if committed, appropriate actions will be readily taken,” he said.