Police Chief Who Led Duterte's Bloody Drug War Resigns Amid Scandal

General Oscar Albayalde, the Philippines' top police officer and enforcer of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, gave up his post on Monday over allegations that he sheltered some corrupt policemen under his watch six years ago.

He announced his decision to step down at a flag-raising event in the Philippine National Police’s (PNP's) main camp in Manila. He said, "After careful thought and deliberation, I have come to the decision to relinquish my post as chief, PNP, effective today and go on non-duty status.”

Some eyes may roll at the timing of the announcement as ABS-CBN News reported the same day that Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año told radio DZMM "He can retire fully and enjoy the benefits.” Albayalde plans to retire on Nov. 8 at age 56.

Año noted that there is no administrative or criminal case against Albayalde, who was chief of the Pampanga police in 2013 when 13 of its officers were accused of pilfering some 160 kilos of shabu, the Filipino name for methamphetamine hydrochloride or crystal meth.

Albayalde’s pension and benefits are at risk only if a new case is filed against him and the court finds him guilty, Año said adding, “That is the due process.”

The allegations have not yet been proven in a court of law, but it will damage the credibility of the president who was elected largely on a promise to start a drug war against anyone involved in the narcotics trade. Duterte has stood by the police force insisting those killed resisted arrests.

Appointed PNP chief in 2018, General Albayalde was viewed as a strict disciplinarian in charge of Metro Manila, where most of the thousands of drug war killings have occurred. And while the events in Pampanga occurred three years before Duterte took office, there were signs of irregularities.

The internal investigations revolve around the arrest of Chinese financier, Johnson Lee during a drug raid carried out by the 13 officers that seized more than 200 kg of shabu. The police reports showed that only 38 kg had been declared leaving the other 162 kg as unreported. The missing drugs were worth about 648 million Philippine pesos (about $13 million).

The allegations also include that Johnson Lee was released after making a large payoff to the police and was replaced by another suspect named Ding Wenkun.

On top of this, a retired senior police officer, Benjamin Magalong, who was, at the time, the chief of the PNP's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), told senators all members of the raiding team and Albayalde were later found to have bought new SUVs for themselves.

General Albayalde called the allegations hearsay and innuendos and none of the 13 officers were charged with anything. No one was dismissed from the police force and some were even promoted. President Duterte’s spokesperson explains that General Albayalde is simply tired of the innuendos regarding his decision to step down.