In COVID-19 briefing, Duterte raises need for police motorbikes

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday raised the need for new motorcycles for the Philippine National Police (PNP) to chase down drug suspects.

Duterte raised the in a televised address intended to update Filipinos on the government’s pandemic response.

Duterte claimed that the “upsurge” of crimes, allegedly driven by the loosening of quarantine restrictions, merits the purchase of new vehicles for the PNP’s Highway Patrol Group.

“I understand the nightmare the police are facing [on] how to control the mobility of the criminal right after committing a crime, kasi ang motor kasi mag-zigzag lang ‘yan in and out of traffic situations and they can really get away with it easily,” he said.

“If we can train the Highway Patrol [Group] and train about, siguro in one class, 30. We have to increase the mobile capacity ng police saka we can buy motorcycles. ‘Yung mahaba… that can negotiate any obstacle,” Duterte added.

The Chief Executive asked Interior Secretary Eduardo Año to study the matter.

“We can request the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government}. Magplano ka, Ed, kung how many— 250 would be a good one,” he said.

Duterte added that cops who will be trained on the use of motorcycles do not need to wear their official uniforms.

“I know that it is not advisable but the only way to really counter the anonymity of the criminals is also to fight the thing on the ground,” he said.

The PNP earlier said crimes went down by 46 percent during the first 200 days of community quarantine.

In his address last week, Duterte had also ordered the destruction of all confiscated shabu within a week.

“I really intend to go hard within the last two years of my term pati itong mga kriminal,” he said.

The President’s recent briefings on COVID-19 have segued into talk of drugs and communists. -NB, GMA News