Nope, in fact, he lauded the police’s doubled anti-illegal drugs and anti-crime efforts with inspiration from President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to fight drugs and other crimes within 3-6 months of sitting in office.
According to Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Hermino Coloma Jr., Aquino’s administration is pleased with the police crackdown that led to arrests and kills in the past few weeks, knowing that the cops were able to step it up because they are equipped to do so.
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“The Aquino administration did its duty of equipping the PNP with enough equipment and improving its crime prevention capability and just like the citizenry, would be pleased to see the PNP continuously improve its performance,” Coloma said.
PNP chief, Director General Ricardo C. Marquez credited the modernization of the PNP in helping reduce crimes over the past few years, allowing the 160,000-strong cops to ‘move, shoot and communicate’ better.
As of August 2015, the PNP Modernization Program has led to the purchase of the following, as reported by PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor:
- 165,084 short firearms
- 89,131 long firearms
- 70 rubber boats
- 10 fast boats
- 4,549 patrol jeeps
- 6,080 motorcycles
- 177 bus/vans/coasters
- 570 personnel carrier trucks
- 122 bicycles
- 52,171 handheld radios
- 459 mobile radios
- 652 base radios
Mayor earlier said that Duterte’s motivation was the reason behind the rise in the number of kills and drug arrests in the police’s fight against illegal drugs, saying that this is the incoming administration’s direction for the PNP.
Duterte, who is set to take his oath as the next president of the Philippines this June 30, has promised to give a bounty to cops who can arrest or kill drug lords and a medal to citizens who can do the same.
Since January to June this year, there were 17,680 suspects arrested due to drug-related cases and around 3,760 of them were arrested after the May 9 elections. Around 68 drug suspects were killed during the same period, 29 of whom were killed after the polls.
According to Mayor, all these kills and arrests were made in legitimate encounters.
The cops may have been inspired by Duterte, but they were able to intensify their operations against drug suspects and other criminals with the help of Aquino’s modernization program.
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