President Duterte has today (Wednesday, April 10) called rogue police officers corrupting his drug war “sons of whores”.
His latest broadside against crooked cops comes after four more officers were accused of kidnapping and extortion.
The arrest of the officers in Makati is just the latest in a series of scandals involving police that have raised concerns about their role in the drug crackdown.
Speaking at Manila airport before flying to Cambodia, the president said: “I was reading, coming here, another spot report of four policemen again linked to kidnapping. These policemen, sons of whores!”
The Philippines National Police (PNP) are the main enforcers of the drug war, which has been blamed for thousands of deaths and led to accusations of crimes against humanity.
Earlier this year, the president admitted that the force was “rotten to the core”, after anti-drug policeman kidnapped and murdered South Korean businessman Ji Ick Joo at Camp Crame headquarters before extorting his widow.
In response, Duterte withdrew the PNP from the drug war and vowed to clean up the force. However, before long they were back on the case without any obvious reform.
Today, the president announced he will appoint the military’s chief of staff, General Eduardo Ano, as interior secretary when he retires this year, to clean up the police force. “I need Ano because I have a problem with the police,” he said.
The force again came under fire last month after a dozen men and women were discovered crammed into a secret cell hidden behind a bookcase at a Manila police station.
The discovery was made by the Commission on Human Rights, an independent government agency, during an unannounced inspection.
The prisoners claimed that the police were demanding money for their freedom. Today, the commission has filed a complaint with the ombudsman, accusing police of illegal detention.
The most recent case, that set the president cursing at the airport today, involved four Makati police officers arrested yesterday for extorting money from a kidnapped businessman and his girlfriend.
Senior Superintendant Chiquito Malayo said: “They demanded 400,000 pesos in exchange for their release.”
He said victims had already made one payment, and added: “The agreement was that they had to complete the remaining balance the following day, or else their family would be killed.”
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