Santiago wants 'swift justice' for enforcers involved in illegal drugs
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Senior Undersecretary Dionisio Santiago recommends a "swift justice" against those policemen and drug enforcement officers who are on payroll of drug lords. Any of those suspected should be placed under summary proceedings, he said/
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has been expediting the conduct of summary proceedings on cops who are allegedly on the take with the drug lords. Santiago said he has only recommendatory powers but it is the national police that decides on fate of the policemen.
Santiago said "we also monitor our own people." The same reason why there are counter-intelligence operations among the members of the agency. "It is like an active human body and not all the body parts are cleansed." The cleansing process is a continuing process. There were already several cops who were terminated from the service because of their direct and indirect links to the illegal drugs trade.
With the ongoing cleansing process, the agency is being feared and respected. The cooperation extended by the people as well as the local government unit is very material in running against the suspects. It is not easy to effect arrest, he said.
The agency will not stop in implementing the anti-drug laws and even anti-laundering to arrest those behind the sale and distribution of prohibited substance such as shabu. "The President has given us free hand to implement and initiate actions against those behind the illegal drugs," said Santiago.