“You will all rot in jail.”
This was the warning issued by the tandem of presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte and Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano to government officials engaged in “narcopolitics.”
On Wednesday, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) confirmed the existence of “narcopolitics” in the country, citing the arrests in 2015 of close to 200 government officials who were allegedly involved in illegal drug trafficking.
“I will not allow our people to be governed by ‘narcopoliticians’. If elected, in the first year of my term with Sen. Cayetano, I will detoxify the government of these criminals and send them all to jail,” Duterte said.
Meanwhile, Cayetano pushed for a high-tech police force to combat crime, drug trafficking and cyber-pornography. The vice presidential bet explained that today’s criminals have become better at using technology to commit illegal activities.
“Sobra na ang gulo dahil ang ating kapulisan ay walang sapat na kakayahan at teknolohiya para sugpuin ang krimen sa ating bansa,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano cited as examples the illegal copying or skimming of automated teller machine (ATM) card information and the emergence of the country as an important hub for a thriving international child cybersex industry.
The Duterte-Cayetano tandem is pushing for several measures to modernize the crime-fighting and solving capabilities of the Philippine National Police (PNP). Some of these are:
1. Modern crime response center similar to Davao City’s Integrated Emergency Response System 911 that works and brings help within minutes.
2. More CCTVs (with facial recognition software) in strategic locations and thoroughfares.
3. Body-worn cameras for police personnel to record their interactions with the public and gather video evidence at crime scenes.
4. Modern crime laboratory services to make match ballistics information and crime reconstruction to solve crimes more efficient.
“Better facilities and technology mean better chances of rounding up criminals and ending the reign of disorder in our country. Sa isang modernong PNP, matatapos ang gulo at magkakaroon ng tunay na pagbabago,” Cayetano said./DC/HQ
