President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. on Friday confirmed that the call for the resignation of generals and full colonels of the Philippine National Police (PNP) is part of his administration's war on drugs campaign.
In an interview with the media, Marcos said this campaign has an "entirely different" approach to resolving the country's drug problem.
"Alam naman natin na yung problema sa drugs, hindi mangyayari iyan kung hindi kasabwat yung iba diyan sa police. Kaya't kailangan tingnan natin ng mabuti kung sino ba talaga ang kasabwat diyan, sino ba talaga ang involved, at sino na talaga ang hindi pwedeng mag serbisyo dahil associated na sila sa mga drug lord," he said.
Marcos said cleansing the ranks ensures that only trusted and reliable officials will be left.
"Nag t-trabaho para sa gobyerno at hindi nag t-trabaho para sa ibang sindikato," he added.
According to the President, a commission tasked to review the records of all police officials will be established soon.
"Slowly we will reinstate those who are clear then maybe we will have to decide what we do to those who are implicated of being involved in the drug trade. So, siguro 'yung severe cases, kakasuhan natin. We'll see first. We're not yet there," he said.
On Thursday, PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. heeded the call of Interior Secretary Benhur Abalo to submit their courtesy resignation amid the possibility of their involvement in the illegal drug trade.
Azurin's resignation was followed by Manila Police District (MPD) chief Brigadier General Andre Dizon. He submitted his courtesy resignation on Friday, January 6.
