MANILA, Philippines — Presidential spokesperson and chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo said in a Tuesday press briefing that the ninja cops controversy has no impact on the credibility of the Duterte administration’s drug war. “[U]nang una, na-expose sila (ninja cops)... Nasira na, na-derail na yung kanilang programa,” Panelo said. (First, the ninja cops have been exposed… their program was ruined and derailed.) The presidential spokesperson also downplayed the gravity of the ninja cops issue. A study from the Columbia Journalism School also found that police figures underreport drug war killings.

Source: Philippine Star October 08, 2019 07:41 UTC