President needs two military divisions, 3,000 cops
Incoming President Rodrigo Duterte will be forming a formidable force composed of two military divisions and 3,000 policemen in his effort to ensure “the security of the nation” and help him in his campaign against criminality.
“I would need two divisions and 3,000 policemen. I have a task for them to do,” said Duterte revealed Saturday night in a press conference at the Hotel Elena here. However, the incoming president declined to reveal what particular operations or missions he would use the super military and police force.
“I have to improve the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the PNP (Philippine National Police). Paano ko gamitin yan, sa akin muna (How I will use the force, that’s for me to know for the meantime).”
Duterte clarified that his plan to add more might to the AFP and PNP was not meant to antagonize any other nation. “I do not expect a war with anybody.”
“It has something to do with the security of the nation,” he said without going into details.
In the same press conference, Duterte acknowledged that the country is already in a “crisis in the war against drugs” and he will contend with this as soon as he assumes office.
He also welcomed the rash of crackdowns and arrests of major illegal drug activities around the country.
“I’m happy to hear that there are so many areas and provinces and cities (where crackdowns have been made). I’m telling the police, they should not wait for me until I become president,” Duterte said.
He even asked some of the media members present of other reports about the PNP’s fight against illegal drugs in the rest of the country.
“Ilan na ba ang namatay (How many have been killed)?” Duterte asked.
When told that there were eight illegal drugs suspects, who have been recently eliminated by the police, the man they call “The Punisher” shot back: “Di nadagdagan (There was no addition to the list)?”
Duterte likewise addressed the scuttlebutt among police that he was mad that the PNP has not been maximizing the intelligence fund being given to its agencies.
He had particularly lashed out at the PNP Pasay, and even the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), for the “failure of intelligence” when these agencies failed to prevent the entry of illegal drugs into the venue of a concert in Pasay City last May 21 that resulted in the death of five concert-goers allegedly due to drug overdose.
As a result of the tongue-lashing he gave these agencies, Duterte said he received reports that the PNP would soon be presenting an accounting of how its agencies have been using intelligence funds.
“They took it to mean nagagalit ako kasi hindi nagagamit yung intelligence fund,” he said.
Duterte explained that what he was irked about was how the intelligence funds are being utilized.
“If I see your intelligence fund na one-fourth pa lang nauubos because you’re using them sparingly and you’re too frugal, hindikanagtatrabaho,” he said.
He maintained that he would rather have law enforcement agencies exhausting their entire intelligence fund allocations for the year, that would be accompanied by results.
“Yung resulta ninyo, ipakita ninyo. Kung saan ninyo winaldas yung (Show the results and how you spent the) intelligence fund,” Duterte said.
Duterte had also pledged to deal with the bandit group Abu Sayyaf once he takes his oath as the country’s 16th president on June 30.
However, he also refused to divulge any of his plans on how to contain the bandit group, which has beheaded Canadian John Ridsdell last month.
Ridsdel, 68, was kidnapped along with three other foreigners and a Filipina from a resort in Samal Island, which is located just across the Davao Gulf, last
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