MANILA — Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative Robert Ace Barbers, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, has backed the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) investigation into the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) actions during former President Duterte’s controversial drug war.
Barbers described Duterte’s anti-drug campaign as a “catastrophic failure” that not only entrenched corruption within the PNP but also fostered a culture of impunity and human rights violations.
Speaking on Tuesday, Barbers supported Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s claim of a “grand conspiracy” within the PNP to cover up criminal activities. Barbers noted that the investigation is a “long-overdue reckoning” to hold accountable those who abused their positions.
“While I initially supported the anti-drug campaign as a necessary response to a growing national crisis, the results have been undeniable—a catastrophic failure,” Barbers said. “Rather than serving justice, the drug war opened the floodgates to corruption in the PNP, created a culture of impunity, destroyed thousands of innocent lives, and allowed recycled drugs to resurface on our streets.”
Barbers pointed to the indictment of 30 police officers—including two generals—over a fabricated drug bust in 2022 as clear evidence of the systemic abuse that flourished under Duterte’s policies.
“This fabricated drug haul is not an isolated incident. It confirms what we have uncovered in the House Quad Committee. The Duterte administration’s reward system turned law enforcement into a criminal enterprise, prioritizing kill statistics and inflated accomplishments over actual reform,” Barbers explained.
Remulla has also revealed that Duterte’s administration incentivized police officers with cash rewards for killing drug suspects, making arrests, and seizing drugs. This system, Barbers said, encouraged widespread malpractice within the PNP, fostering a network of officers who fabricated evidence and inflated crime statistics to profit from the system.
“The reward system did not just promote shortcuts; it created criminal enterprises within the institution charged with enforcing the law,” Barbers remarked. “Officers exploited the system for personal gain, and those responsible for this corruption were protected.”
Barbers emphasized that Duterte’s “reckless policies” created an environment ripe for corruption, turning the PNP into a rogue organization thriving on blood money.
“This fabricated drug haul is a damning indictment of Duterte’s entire approach to governance. We must ensure that those who caused this damage are held accountable,” he added.
The lawmaker also called for urgent reforms to dismantle the “culture of impunity” within the PNP. These reforms, Barbers said, should include independent oversight of reward systems, greater transparency in police operations, and tougher penalties for extrajudicial killings.
“We need decisive action to hold people accountable and prevent these atrocities from happening again. The days of unchecked abuse and corruption must end,” Barbers stressed.
The indictment of the 30 police officers involved in the fabricated drug bust, according to Barbers, should be the first step in a broader effort to hold perpetrators accountable. He lauded the DILG’s commitment to thoroughly investigating the extent of the reward system and its role in the drug war.
“This investigation is a pivotal moment for our country—a chance to prove that no one is above the law. We must act decisively to deliver justice and restore the public’s trust,” Barbers concluded.
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