Vicente Danao Jr. 鈥擱ICHARD A. REYES
Former Davao police chief, Senior Supt. Vicente Danao Jr., took over the Manila Police District (MPD) on Thursday, vowing to purge the ranks of errant lawmen.
His appointment came more than two weeks after PO1 Eduardo Valencia, a member of the Sampaloc police station, was accused by a teen of rape.
According to the 15-year-old girl, Valencia demanded that she have sex with him in exchange for not filing drug charges against her.
The 鈥減alit-puri鈥� (sex-for-freedom) scheme highlighted alleged abuses being committed by policemen involved in the government鈥檚 campaign against illegal drugs.
Danao said that disciplining 鈥渟calawags in uniform鈥� was one of his top priorities. 鈥淢anila City has been in the limelight鈥� Some rogue policemen of this unit are involved in different irregularities. Because of this, I鈥檇 like to take on this challenge to assume the MPD [leadership],鈥� he told the audience.
Danao later told reporters that sending policemen to the streets, including intensifying foot patrols, was also on his to-do list although 鈥渋nternal cleansing was number one.鈥�
For this, he was planning to put up a hotline where the public could report abuses committed by 鈥渟calawags in uniform.鈥�
Danao was the Davao police chief from 2013 to 2016. He landed in the news in 2014 after a viral video showed him beating up his wife Susie.
He was also tagged by confessed hitman Edgar Matobato over his alleged involvement in the Davao Death Squad, a vigilante group believed to be responsible for killings in the city.
Charges were filed against Danao in the Department of Justice but these were eventually dismissed.