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LOOK: Robredo’s letter to PNP requesting info on drug war

Patty Pasion

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LOOK: Robredo’s letter to PNP requesting info on drug war
The Office of the Vice President shows a copy of its January 30 letter seeking information from the Philippine National Police, which it says went unanswered

MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Monday, March 20, addressed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa’s claim that they did not receive any letter from Vice President Leni Robredo requesting information on the drug war.

Robredo’s spokesperson Georgina Hernandez and legal adviser Barry Gutierrez presented the copy of the letter received by both the offices of Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno and Dela Rosa on January 30, 2017.

The letter asked the PNP for the following information related to the drug war operations:

  • Command Memorandum Circular No. 2016-16 establishing Operation Double Barrel issued by Dela Rosa on July 1, 2016 
  • The latest report on police operations relating to Operation Double Barrel 
  • A list of suspected drug personalities killed in police operations since the implementation of Operation Double Barrel 
  • A list of deaths under investigation since the implementation of Operation Double Barrel 
  • A list of deaths in cases where investigation has concluded since the implementation of Operation Double Barrel

 


 

 

Gutierrez said it has been nearly two months since the letter was received but they have not yet received any response from the two offices. 

“This raises concern that if the Vice President does not get a response from the PNP, how will an ordinary citizen receive a response?” he said.

‘Palit-ulo’ scheme

Dela Rosa said earlier on Monday that the PNP did not get any request from Robredo.

He also denied the existence of a “palit-ulo” scheme in the conduct of the war against drugs, which Robredo raised in her video message to the United Nations. Under the supposed scheme, police nab relatives if a drug suspect cannot be found. (READ: Cops in ‘palit-ulo’? I’ll beat them up myself, says Dela Rosa

Gutierrez maintained that the scheme was only relayed to Robredo by the poor families of victims of extrajudicial killings who sought help from her office.

The claims of the victims’ families, he said, are worth investigating.

   

The PNP previously challenged Robredo to give specific incidents of the alleged tactic. But Hernandez said the poor families fear they will be targeted if their identities are revealed. 

“We respect the request of the families that they are not yet ready to surface. They still fear for their lives. They cannot assure that they will be safe if they expose themselves. And because of this, we are not forcing them to,” she said.

Asked if they will help these families file charges, Gutierrez said the OVP is now working on the cases with a group of lawyers and non-governmental organizations. – Rappler.com

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Patty Pasion

Patty leads the Rappler+ membership program. She used to be a Rappler multimedia reporter who covered politics, labor, and development issues of vulnerable sectors.