PHILIPPINE National Police chief General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. yesterday to Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ C. Abalos Jr. to ‘focus on the real enemy’ or the vicious drug syndicates and their tentacles in the government that are destroying the country.

“My appeal to the SILG: focus on the real enemy. Let me call the attention, also of our kind Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, the Honorable ‘Benjamin’ Benhur’ Abalos Jr. to take a second look on the people who may be feeding him misinformation to cast doubt on the integrity of the PNP organization which is under his authority,” the top cop told a Camp Crame press conference.

“While I join the Good SILG in the fight against erring personnel in the police force, let us not lose focus on the real enemy here-which is shabu and the drug syndicates.

“In this instance, I call the SILG’s attention also to the previous drug operations where worth of hundreds of millions of shabu were seized in a raid in Poro Point, La Union; Binalonan, Pangasinan; at a gas station in Mexico, Pampanga; and recently in Baguio City. These were presented to the Secretary as an accomplishments,” said the PNP chief in his first meeting with the press a week after Sec. Abalos accused some top PNP officials of attempting to ‘cover-up’ the probe on the major drug haul. Is it not baffling that parcels of shabu keep on popping up around the country-particularly in provinces up North-despite the PNP’s Drug Enforcement Group’s supposedly relentless operations,” he said.

According to the PNP chief, “no less than some officials of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency had provided the PNP some intelligence and information on the alleged involvement of some erring personnel possibly engaged in recycling of illegal drugs. We are going after them,” he said.

Gen. Azurin said in the proper forum, he can share those information to Sec. Abalos so that he can also help the PNP in going after some scalawags who could be ‘blindsiding him and some officials of the. Government in the anti-drug campaign.”

“One thing I can say is, under the Marcos administration, under my tenure, I was able to identify the members of the PNP who are involved in illegal drug activities. Let it be told that the PNP had tracked down personalities linked to Mayo and his cohorts,” he said.

“Saying we opened a can of worms is an understatement. Once cannot fathom the extent how illegal drugs had infiltrated the high echelons of our society. While I believe some of the officers dragged into the controversy will be able to defend themselves, I hope they will be given their time in the proper fora or be given their day in court,” Gen. Azurin added.

“But let the ax fall where it should be-lest it be told that I am unduly protecting some. Since Day One, I was strong in my resolve to make the PNP a better organization. To quote a line from a movie, The Few Good Men, “we live by a code Sir. Either we were right, or we were wrong.

We don’t make deals.”

“I am ready to prove my critics wrong. In a few days, I will be retiring. I believe I will be leaving the PNP better than the one I joined almost four decades ago. I still dream for a transformed PNP organization—where no PNP officer is involved in the use, possession, manufacture, trade or selling of illegal drugs. That’s my wish for everyone to put to heart while in the service,” he said.

Gen. Azurin called on all hardworking and dedicated men and women of the PNP to not be bothered by the sweeping false accusations hurled against some of their officials.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon