(Eagle News) — Authorities will investigate claims drug lords were using some human rights groups to discredit the government’s war on drugs.
“This has been a recent finding. So we will coordinate with our counterparts from (the Philippine National Police), (National Bureau of Investigation) and all other agencies including intelligence agencies kung kailangan,” Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency director Derrick Carreon said in a press conference in Malacanang on Tuesday.
According to Carreon, “any damage to the campaign” in a way affects their efforts.
He noted that while there were criticisms that were done “with the intent of being constructive,” there could be others that could be done just to elicit doubts in the minds of the public about the operations of government security forces.
“We’ve been transparent. We’ve been inviting media. We invite other stakeholders. We wear body cameras. We allow stakeholders to join us in entering the area para naman po makita nila we have been adjusting as well in order to dispel any notions that operations are conducted with any kind of irregularities,” he said.
PDEA assumed the role of lead agency in the war on drugs following criticisms several policemen were using it as a pretext to commit crimes.
It was Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque who floated the possibility of a link between human rights groups and drug lords.
“The attacks against the President’s war on drugs have been vicious and nonstop. We therefore do not discount the possibility that some human rights groups have become unwitting tools of drug lords to hinder the strides made by the administration,” Roque said.
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