Cayetano: People support PNP's efforts to rid country of drugs and contain criminality

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano expressed confidence that the nation supports PNP Chief Director General Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa and the PNP leadership in their efforts to reform the country's police force, and to make it more effective in the war against drugs and criminality.

"Do not despair, the people are critical but are behind you," Cayetano told Dela Rosa.

Cayetano said while he has asked Congress to act and improve the salary and benefits of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Congress has been and should be critical of the scalawags in the organization.

"Nonetheless, it is still Congress' duty to at least provide uniformed personnel with an amount that covers the cost of living, and to provide orphaned families of those killed or wounded in action with enough to make ends meet and send dependents to good schools," he said.

Cayetano also urged the citizenry to continue to support the efforts of the PNP leadership to cleanse its ranks of rogue policemen and scalawags by helping identify the corrupt officers involved in criminal activities, particularly in the illegal drug trade.

"We trust in the leadership of the PNP and we will do all to support his efforts and initiatives to reform the organization with the same intensity as Senator Panfilo Lacson did when he was Chief PNP," Cayetano said.

He lamented that there are still those who are part of the organization who continue to use their uniform for criminal activities, protecting drug operations and illegal gambling.

"DG Dela Rosa's efforts to cleanse the ranks of PNP belie the administration's critics that the government tolerates extrajudicial killings and corruption," he added.

The senator said he believes the government will not rest until the PNP has been effectively reformed, to help the President win in his fight to suppress crime and illegal drugs, problems that continue to plague our nation.