‘PNP should overhaul system’

MEMBERS of the Philippine National Police (PNP) such as patrolmen and lieutenants should not be immediately allowed to be assigned to the PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG), Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Sunday said.

In a radio interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Dela Rosa said that the PNP has to adjust its administrative policies-including its vetting system--on who should be assigned to the PDEG.

Dela Rosa made the comment following the alleged cover-up in the more than P6 billion shabu bust in Manila last year.

“As I’ve said, there should be no patrolman or lieutenant assigned in PDEG. They should be exposed in the field and to difficult assignments first. The ones graduating from the academy should not be sent straight away to PDEG. Their exposure is wrong,” Dela Rosa said. The lawmaker added that “they immediately get exposed to the wrong jobs when the seniors they were assigned to were already like ninja cops.”

Earlier, the former director of the PDEG admitted lapses in the October 2022 drug bust in which P6.4 billion worth of shabu was seized but denied there was any cover-up.

Testifying before the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, former PDEG chief Police Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo admitted he had not told the panel the whole truth about the drug raid.

“I admit that there are lapses in our entire operation, but such judgment calls and procedural lapses were done by me in good faith based on the reports of my men,” Domingo said.

For example, there was a lapse when the operating team did not conduct an inventory on the scene after confiscating two kilos of shabu from then Police Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo.

However, Domingo said that if they had followed the rule, they might not have discovered the 990 kilos of shabu.

When the 990 kilograms of shabu was later seized, policemen committed a violation when they pilfered about 42 kilos of the contraband, Domingo said.

Filipino pilgrims arrive in Saudi to join yearly Hajj pilgrimage

THE first batch of Filipino pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia to embark on the 2023 Hajj, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh announced Sunday.

The group, composed of 292 men and women, landed at the Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah on June 3 via a Philippine Airlines flight.

Citing the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), the Embassy said over 7,200 Filipinos are expected to join this year’s Hajj, an important pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims must perform once in their lifetime.

The embassy emphasized its readiness to assist the traveling Muslim Filipinos throughout their visit, especially as pilgrims in the Kingdom are expected to encounter challenges due to unfavorable weather conditions during the Hajj, which will commence between June 26 and July 1.

The Philippine Missions in Saudi Arabia, with support from the Department of Foreign Affairs, have also deployed Hajj assistance teams to help ensure the safety and security of Filipino pilgrims while in the Kingdom.

Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Rommel Romato, who welcomed the pilgrims, expressed appreciation to the Saudi government for its initiatives to enhance the experience of pilgrims visiting the Two Holy Mosques.

“Millions of pilgrims, including those from the Philippines, will benefit from innovations such as automation of Hajj services and the Makkah Route initiative among others,” he said.