Press Release
July 1, 2016

Lacson: Duterte's legal protection assurance a much-needed
motivation boost for law enforcers

President Rodrigo Duterte's assurance of legal protection for police personnel who kill criminals in the line of duty will be a much-needed motivation for law enforcers to do their jobs well and without hesitation, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said Friday.

Lacson said many police personnel may tend to be tentative in confrontations with armed criminals for fear of being charged for harassment - and that resulting moment of hesitation had become deadly for many of them.

"There couldn't be any more reassuring commitment than one coming from the commander-in-chief himself. That's exactly what is needed to motivate our policemen to perform their duties without hesitation," said Lacson, who served as chief of the PNP from 1999 to 2001.

"Many retired policemen, I'm sure, wish they had served under a commander-in-chief like President Duterte," he added.

Lacson recalled he himself experienced having his resources drained by trumped-up harassment charges during his law enforcement days. "I should know and I can speak from personal experience. I had faced too many trumped-up, harassment charges myself during my law enforcement days," he said.

While Lacson maintained President Duterte and the PNP must make sure such an assurance for legal protection will not be twisted to allow abuses, the assurance of legal support will mean much to law enforcers who risk their lives to protect the public.

"Without ample legal assistance from the government, they suffer a massive drain in their personal resources for their legal fees," he said.

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