PNP Cordillera disbands anti-drug team after members suspected of murder
Dec 18, 2020 7:24 PM PHT
The Philippine National Police (PNP) Cordillera regional police disbanded its Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU) after two of its members were implicated in the abduction and beheading of a Baguio City resident – a case that is seen to erode the police s credibility once more amid an unrelenting anti-drug campaign.
This was confirmed to Rappler by Cordillera police chief Brigadier General Rwin Pagkalinawan in a text message on Friday, December 18, saying that the two suspects in the killing were placed under restrictive custody inside their regional camp in La Trinidad, Benguet.
Baguio police office readies charges vs cops sunstar.com.ph - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sunstar.com.ph Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SunStar
+ December 16, 2020 THE POLICE Regional Office-Cordillera (PRO-COR) dissolved the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU) after two of its members were allegedly involved in the abduction and killing of an individual.
Brigadier General R’win Pagkalinawan, PRO-COR regional director, said the order to dissolve the unit came after criminal and administrative charges were filed by the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) against the two suspects for the abduction and killing of Harjan Lagman sometime in November.
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, in a national radio interview, confirmed that the identities of the two suspects have been positively identified to be members of the RDEU, who are now both in the custody of the police.
PHOTO VIA LIEZLE INIGO/ MANILA BULLETIN
The drug tests were simultaneously conducted on personnel assigned at the Regional Headquarters, Regional Drug Enforcement Unit, Pangasinan Police Provincial Office, and National Support Units.
On Monday, 122 police officers assigned to the Ilocos Sur Police Provincial Office also went through the random drug tests at Camp President Elpidio R Quirino, Bulag, Bantay, Ilocos Sur – 47 of them are Police Commissioned Officers, 74 Non-Commissioned Officers, and one Non-Uniformed Personnel assigned to Ilocos Sur.
The tests are being conducted in line with the directive of Chief PNP General Debold M. Sinas to optimize the utilization of PNP resources and to clean the police ranks of “narco cops.”