The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday debunked circulating social media claims that a police operation had been carried out at the Davao City home of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
According to online chatter, around 30 personnel from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and 90 Special Action Force (SAF) members were allegedly spotted near the residence. The post further claimed the tip came from Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte, the former president’s son.
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo flatly denied the report, stating there was no such operation. “We don’t know where the honorable congressman got his information that the CIDG personnel were there to conduct an operation,” she said in an Inquirer.net report.
Fajardo added that CIDG chief Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III had “no knowledge whatsoever” of any operation in Davao involving his unit.
When asked if the SAF’s presence was also false, Fajardo confirmed that the PNP had no such deployment.
Former President Duterte is currently detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, facing charges of crimes against humanity in connection with his administration’s controversial war on drugs.
