DILG chief: ‘Palit Ulo’ not true

“I respectfully request the Vice President to please corroborate her statement,” Sueno said in a news release issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Tuesday. (Photo: Department of Interior and Local Government)

MANILA–Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno has denied Vice President Leonor Robredo’s allegations of a “Palit Ulo” scheme in the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) anti-illegal drugs operations.

“I respectfully request the Vice President to please corroborate her statement,” Sueno said in a news release issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Tuesday.

“It would help if Vice President Robredo presents to us solid proof about this so-called ‘Palit Ulo’ scheme so we can act on it immediately.”

The vice president, in a message to a United Nations conference in Austria, spoke of the alleged scheme where a member of a family takes the place of a drug suspect who could not be found.

Sueno emphasized that the DILG-PNP is open to suggestions from stakeholders on how to win the war against narcotics, saying they have even revised their strategy with the launch of Oplan Double Barrel 2.

Meanwhile, Sueno noted that the letter sent by Vice President Robredo seeking information on the drug war was forwarded to Undersecretary for Public Order Catalino Cuy, who in turn forwarded it to the PNP.

“The PNP is not hiding anything, and in fact, we have always been transparent with Oplan Tokhang, and we have been providing regular updates about Tokhang operations through the media,” he said.

The DILG chief also said he has always been cordial to the Vice President and had even paid her a courtesy call to discuss how they could work together to solve jail congestion.