DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 18 August) — President Rodrigo R. Duterte raised to 5 million pesos the reward money for every “ninja cop” killed, referring to police personnel involved in corruption.
Duterte made this announcement during the convention and mass oath-taking of new members of Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) at the SMX Convention Center Davao on Friday as he expressed his exasperation over the continuous involvement of police scalawags despite his stern warning. The President was quick to add that not all of them are corrupt.
“But I think ‘yung nag-sige kidnap, kidnap dito, either it’s the ninja police or ito talagang scalawags. So the good practice maybe sa ninja cops, I will now raise the amount of five million per ninja cop,” he said.
Duterte offered to give P10,000 for every “ninja cop” caught alive by police enforcers, he said.
President Rodrigo Duterte announced a P5 million bounty for every “ninja cop” killed, referring to police personnel involved in corrupt practices and illegal drugs, during his speech at the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) Convention at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City on August 17, 2018. RENE LUMAWAG/Presidential Photo
Duterte warned the scalawags to surrender within 48 hours because he will add another P1 million per month “hanggang ang asawa mo maghanap ng boyfriend diyan na papatayin ka (until your wife looks for a boyfriend who will kill you).”
The Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drugs earned criticisms for the death allegedly of at least 12,000 drug suspects. The government claims only 4,075 drug personalities “died in anti-drug operations” from July 1, 2016 to March 20, 2018.
Duterte said the police in the previous administrations were restrained from performing their duties because they were afraid to face charges in court.
“You municipal mayors, you know that. The only way that the drug pusher can fight is for drug dealer to file a counter charge,” he said.
“‘Pag mag-counter charge na, ang pulis walang abogado, walang pera (If there’s a counter charge, the police have no lawyer, no money). I was once a prosecutor of this — for eight years, I was a trial prosecutor,” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
