Philippine National Police (PNP) Director Oscar Albayalde expressed gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte for the P25 million onthly support he extended for the hospitalization program of police personnel.

“I take this opportunity today to extend the PNP’s deep gratitude to the president for his recent pledge extending 25 million pesos monthly support for the PNP’s reimbursement hospitalization expenses program,” Albayalde said during the 117th Police service anniversary celebration in Camp Crame on Wednesday.

"This is a big help for our policemen, thank you very much,” he added.

Albayalde also emphasized that the support extended for the PNP “will indeed go a long way in helping ease the financial burden on the shoulders of our police personnel who undergo medical treatment or are hospitalized.

In his speech, Albayalde also mentioned the PNP 's accomplishments and in its fight against illegal drugs.

"From July 1, 2016 to June 30 2018 total crime volume fell by 20.4 percent compared to the previous total for the same period from 2014 to 2016. In the same period of review index crimes decreased by 46.95 percent with crimes against persons lower by 30.42 percent and crimes aganst property declining by 56.16 percent," he said.

"Ladies and gentlemen we recognize the fact that despite the gains and victories we have achieved in the anti-drug war in the last two years the drug problem remains serious as we continue to battle the merchants of death , the big time drug targets who continue to threaten the lives and security of our countrymen, he added.

Albayalde also emphasized the developments on the internal cleansing program of the PNP.

"We have also been relentess in our cleansing in our ranks of misfits and scalawags, rouge cops who are into illegal drugs and who use their post to commit wrongdoings. From July 2016 to June 2018 our internal cleansing program, stronger and more ruthless as ever has so far resulted in the dismissal from the service of 1,828 police personnel out of the 6,401 facing administrative charges," he said.

"A total of 3,589 have been suspended, 362 were demoted, 403 were reprimanded, 147 were penalized with forefeiture of salary, 43 have been stripped of privileges and 29 were restricted to quarters. A total of 498 PNP personnel were investigated for illegal drug related cases with 266 found positive for illegal drugs use and 232 were linked to illegal drug activities," he noted.

"Of these, 261 police and civilian personnel who tested positive for drug use and 92 who were involved in illegal drug activities were all dismissed from the service. The rest have been suspended demoted reprimanded or exonerated," he added. Robina Asido/DMS