MANILA, Philippines - With President Duterte angered by the kidnap-slay of Korean executive Jee Ick-joo, Malacañang vowed to slap the full force of the law on the policemen involved in the gruesome crime that happened right inside the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters at Camp Crame.
“The President will not tolerate any police abuse. All these police scalawags will be dealt with and prosecuted to the fullest under the law,” chief presidential legal adviser Salvador Panelo said yesterday. “They will pay for that.”
The Palace executive’s statement is seen as an assurance from the Duterte administration that it won’t protect cops involved in criminal activities, although this deviates from the support the President gives to police officers who might be implicated in killings – even under questionable circumstances – related to the war against drugs.
It was PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa who said on Thursday that the President has been briefed about the circumstances of the Korean trader’s killing.
He described the Chief Executive’s reaction as “very angry.”
Panelo defended Dela Rosa even though the crime was committed near the main PNP headquarters where Dela Rosa holds office and near the White House, official residence of the police chief.
“The commission of a crime does not choose a place. There are criminals who will commit crimes even in their own homes,” the legal adviser said.
Read the full story at The Philippine Star