Pubdate: Sat, 25 Dec 2004 Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines) Copyright: 2004 Philippine Daily Inquirer Contact: http://www.inquirer.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1073 Author: Maila Ager Cited: Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency http://www.pdea.gov.ph Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?236 (Corruption - Outside U.S.) CLEAN UP PDEA, SOLONS TELL CHIEF CLEAN up the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), three congressmen told its chief Anselmo Avenido Jr. on Friday. Surigao del Sur Representative Prospero Pichay Jr., Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla, and House Majority Floor Leader Prospero Nograles of Davao City made the call, following a series of jail breaks, the latest of which was the escape of Chinese Li Zhong alias James Mian. Avenido should "clean up the agency of scalawags colluding either with big-time drug lords or harassing innocents by unjustly detaining them and extorting for their release," said Pichay in a statement. "These incidents by the scalawags in PDEA show the lack of control and discipline down the line. The PDEA chief must take urgent measures to prevent abuses by his own people," he said. In separate statements, Remulla and Nograles said there was an urgent need to completely weed out rogue and negligent law enforcement and penal facility personnel as "these series of jail breaks could seriously cause (demoralization) on those who are putting their lives on the line to go after criminal elements." Like Pichay, Remulla said he also believed that Li Zhong's escape was made possible through the alleged connivance of his custodians. He urged the agency to arrest its personnel responsible for handling the agency's detention facility. "Suspending or relieving them from their assignment is not enough. They should be treated like the criminal whom they allowed to escape," Remulla said. Nograles agreed that the series of high-profile jail breaks have reached a very alarming stage and have raised serious doubts on the government's capability to get criminals off the streets. "This is very embarrassing. It's completely useless even if we arrest top criminals on a daily basis only to escape later on while in the custody of the government. This should stop now," Nograles stressed. - ---