MANILA – An active high-ranking official of the Philippine National Police is protecting his subordinates who are involved in the illegal narcotics trade, Sen. Franklin Drilon said Friday.

Former PNP – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Benjamin Magalong said in an executive session at the Senate on Thursday that the police official "appeared to be protecting his men who are involved in drug trade," according to Drilon.

Drilon, however, said Magalong did not say whether the official benefited from the alleged illicit activities of his men.

“Walang sinabi na kumita or directly kasabwat itong opisyal na ito. Either negligence or loyalty to his men, hindi po naparusahan,” Drilon told dzMM.

In his testimony at the Senate on Thursday, Magalong backed the revelation of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority that unscrupulous police officers recycle illegal drugs seized during narcotics operations to sell or use as planted evidence.

Magalong, now the mayor of Baguio City, said during his time as CIDG chief, some corrupt cops would also offer to free arrested Chinese drug lords for P50 million.

He also said Chinese drug lords serving time at the New Bilibid Prison continued to “remotely manage the entire drug trade in the country”.

• Chinese drug lords manage drug trade from Bilibid: ex-CIDG chief

The alleged anomalies inside Bilibid and illicit activities of rogue cops were uncovered as the Senate probed the grant of good conduct time allowance to inmates at the national penitentiary.

The probe revealed certain heinous crime convicts benefited from the system even if they were supposedly disqualified under the law.

Senators and witnesses also alleged that Bilibid hospital doctors allowed drug convicts to conduct their operations from inside the medical facility. Bilibid hospital officials denied this allegation.