The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Monday there was allegedly a “massive attempt to cover-up" the arrest of a police officer tagged in illegal drugs.

DILG Sec. Benjamin Abalos Jr. said in a press conference that the attempt to cover-up the arrest of Police Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo Jr. was based on an investigation conducted by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) on multibillion-peso drug operations in Tondo, Manila in 2022.

Abalos said he was “disappointed” by the “very slow progress” of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) investigation on the recovery of 990 kilograms of shabu worth P6.7 billion during an anti-illegal drugs operation conducted on October 8, 2022.

• 'Biggest drug haul': P6.7-B worth of alleged illegal drugs seized in NCR operations

This was where some police officers were found to allegedly have taken 42 kilograms of the illegal drugs.

The stolen 42 kilos of shabu were later recovered, prompting the PNP to create the Special Investigation Task Group 990 to conduct an investigation.

Abalos, who was also Napolcom’s ex-officio chairperson, said he asked through a letter for the progress of the investigation since “months have already passed."

“On March 23, 2023, during the Napolcom en banc meeting, the head of SITG 990 PMGEN Eliseo DC Cruz, admitted before the members of the en banc that SITG 990 was constituted to investigate only the matter of the 42 kilos of shabu that was pilfered and returned by members of the PNP PDEG, leaving the main matter of the 990 kilograms of shabu unexplained and unaccounted,” Abalos said.

He added meetings were held between Napolcom and PNP but the “PNP leadership did not provide any conclusive information on the matter."

Abalos also showed a video, to what “supposedly transpired” in the October 8, 2022 operation, saying that it showed a “different scenario” from the narration of facts submitted by the PNP in the documents filed in court and the testimonies given in Congress.

“Wala na akong dapat ipaliwanag pa kasi ang mismong tape ang magpapakita kung ano talaga 'yung mga ginawa upang i-cover up. Ito ay ilan lang sa mga hawak naming ebidensiya, it is to corroborate para palakasin ang aming mga hawak... kung pagsama-samahin 'yan napakalas po niyan,” Abalos said.

This also prompted the DILG secretary to call on the other 10 high-ranking policemen who were shown and mentioned in the video to file their leave of absence within the week.

“Mag-leave muna sila pending investigation. If not, they will be suspended pending investigation,” Abalos said.

“'Di kami papayag na masira ang ating bansa nitong droga. Kung kailangan linisin ang ranggo gagawin namin ang sinumpaan namin dito,” Abalos said.