QUEZON CITY -- In his first-ever speech before the Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos, Jr. affirmed his support for the police force in carrying out their mandate of maintaining peace and order throughout the country.

Speaking at PNP’s flag-raising ceremony on Monday morning at Camp Crame, Quezon City, Abalos commended his predecessor, former DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año, and the entire PNP workforce, for their accomplishments and sacrifices in the past few years, especially in aiding the government’s pandemic response.

“Maraming nagkasakit na kapulisan at mayroon din namang mga namatay. Your sacrifices include your own lives at nakita po ng mga mamamayan natin iyon. Hindi natin nakikita ang kalaban and yet you’re always there,” Abalos said.

The former mayor and congressman of Mandaluyong City likewise assured the 225,000-strong police force that he will always support them, as long as they fulfill their duties and responsibilities in accordance with the rule of law.

“Marami tayong magiging kalaban sa mga susunod na taon. And if there’s one thing na hinihingi ko sa inyo ay ang pagmamahal sa bayan na inyo nang ipinakita. At asahan po ninyo, nasa likod niyo ako. Kung kailangan niyo ako, lahat ng manggugulo sa inyo, ‘wag kayong mag-alala, basta nasa legal lahat ipagtatangol ko kayo. Ako ang kakampi niyo,” he exclaimed.

Abalos, a lawyer by profession, reiterated that the war on drugs will continue under his watch, this time with greater focus on building up strong cases against illegal drug suspects to ensure that no cases will be dismissed and they will be spending the rest of their lives behind bars.

He also cited practices in the City of Mandaluyong that can be injected and emulated to improve the Department’s anti-illegal drugs campaign, such as the hiring of personnel solely dedicated to accompanying law enforcers in anti-illegal drug operations to stand as witnesses in court and to augment the building up of cases against drug suspects.

“These are the kind of practices na gagawin natin at hihingin ko sa mga gobernador, sa mga mayor ng Pilipinas,” Abalos said.

The newly-installed DILG Secretary also assured the PNP of adequate legal support should they face trumped-up cases while on the line of duty.

“Hindi ako papayag na mademoralize ang ating mga pulis. Gagawa ako ng sistema, titignan ko ito. Kung nasa lugar at tama naman, I will create a team to evaluate the evidence. Huwag kayong mag-alala tutulungan ko ang ating kapulisan,” he said.

The veteran local chief executive also highlighted the importance of addressing cybercrimes, especially with the advent of technology and Filipinos’ heavy reliance on social media.

He noted that cybercrimes, especially cyberpornography, have been on the rise following the surge in the use of the Internet due to the pandemic.

“Just inform me kung anong equipment ang kailangan niyo. Kung kinakailangang mag-seminar, mag-aral o kumuha ng mga technical people ang ating Anti-Cybercrime Group, please do so,” Abalos said. (DILG)