MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – At least 11 police personnel tested positive for illegal drugs during a series of tests conducted throughout the country, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa announced on Monday, July 4.

In a press conference following his first flag ceremony as chief of the 160,000-strong PNP, Dela Rosa said that out of 2,405 police personnel who underwent drug testing, 9 tested positive for illegal substances. The number was later raised to 11.

The samples will undergo confirmatory testing. Once validated, the police officials will be charged and tried. Dela Rosa did not specify the ranks of those who tested positive.

The PNP’s top officials who took a surprise drug test inside Camp Crame last Friday, July 1, meanwhile all tested negative. Dela Rosa himself underwent the test as a show of transparency.

Dela Rosa assumed the PNP’s top post on Friday, July 1, a day after President Rodrigo Duterte took his oath as the country’s 16th president.

Duterte won the 2016 elections on a campaign that promised “change” in the country – in particular, his was a promise to stamp out corruption, crime, and illegal drugs.

Dela Rosa had previously vowed to purge the PNP of scalawags, particularly cops involved in illegal drugs and those who do not perform their mandate. – Rappler.com