‘Killing of Korean businessman is wake-up call for PNP’

‘Killing of Korean businessman is wake-up call for PNP’ (Photo: PNP/Facebook)

MANILA—Senators on Friday decried the abduction and killing of a Korean businessman involving some policemen and urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) anew to prioritize cleaning up its ranks.

“This is probably the most unwelcome wake-up call for (PNP) Director General Ronald Dela Rosa,” Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said in a statement.

“Director General dela Rosa knows that, and I’m certain he knows how to do it because he was one of those at the forefront of our no-nonsense internal cleansing of the police,” he added.

Lacson, former PNP chief, said Dela Rosa should lose no time by “going hammer and tongs against all rogue cops who only care about their personal gains to the detriment of the entire police organization.”

He said Dela Rosa should prioritize punishing these cops who took advantage of the intensified campaign against illegal drugs under the administration of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.

“Priority must be against those who take advantage of the president’s all-out, mostly bloody war against illegal drugs,” Lacson said.

The senator recalled when he was PNP chief and “really hit hard” on inept, corrupt and undisciplined policemen, regardless of rank.

He said that it was also his way of acknowledging the sacrifices of the honest and hardworking police officers.

Sen. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian, for his part, echoed Lacson, and urged Dela Rosa to identify and remove corrupt police officers through mounting a so-called “police purification campaign.”

Gatchalian, an ally of Pres. Duterte, stressed that the success or failure of this administration’s anti-crime campaign will depend on Dela Rosa’s ability to redeem the public’s trust in the police force.

“These dirty cops must be brought to justice,” Gatchalian said.

“I am one with the President in the fight against crime, but we must also face a brutal fact: we will lose this fight if the people lose faith in our police force. We simply cannot let this happen,” he added.

He also said that cases of police impunity “call into question the integrity of the police and the legitimacy of their anti-crime mission”.

“…The kidnapping and brutal murder of Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo inside the very seat of command of the Philippine National Police highlights the urgent need for the PNP to cleanse its ranks of dirty cops,” he further said.