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The Department of Justice will also conduct its own investigation against the five police generals earlier identified by President Rodrigo Duterte as allegedly linked or acting as protectors of illegal drugs syndicates in the country.

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This was bared by DOJ Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Tuesday in text message sent to reporters covering the justice beat.

“DOJ is working on our own to get evidence against the “narco-generals,” Aguirre said.

The DOJ Secretary was referring to alleged involvement of the generals who are still in active service, namely, Chief Supt. Bernardo Diaz of the Police Regional Office 6, former National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Supt. Joel Pagdilao and former Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Chief Supt. Edgardo Tinio.

DOJ also probing involvement of retired PNP Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo and retired Chief Superintendent and now Daanbantayan, Cebu Mayor Vicente Loot.

Earlier, Aguirre said the DOJ would just wait for the filing of charges against the said retired and active police generals, saying that the National Police Commission was already investigating the matter.

He said then that once a case was filed, then that would be the time that the DOJ would get involved by conducting preliminary hearings.

“The process is for Napolcom or any other investigative body to file a case before DOJ and once it is filed, that’s the time we will initiate preliminary investigation,” he explained.

But Aguirre did issue an immigration look-out bulletin order against the five based on the request by Interior Secretary Mike Sueno.

Meanwhile, the Napolcom said it would file administrative charges against Pagdilao and Tinio.

The Napolcom said Pagdilao and Tinio will be charged with serious neglect of duty, serious irregularities in the performance of duty, and conduct unbecoming of a police officer.

The Napolcom said it had not found yet concrete evidence linking the two police generals as protectors of illegal drugs syndicates in the country.

Once they are found guilty, the police generals will be immediately dismissed from the service.

Last July, President Rodrigo Duterte publicly named the five PNP officials suspected to be involved in illegal drugs and ordered them relieved from the posts. (Christopher Lloyd T. Caliwan/PNA)