MANILA, Philippines – Davao City mayor and presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte said he would dismantle the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) which has already been “contaminated” if he becomes the country’s next president.

“Yung PDEA ngayon bungkagon (Cebuano term for dismantle) ko na. Wala na siya, na-contaminate na,” Duterte told a huge crowd that had gathered at the Remedios T. Romualdez Plaza in Tacloban City on Monday night.

Duterte made the statement as he introduced former PDEA director general Dionisio Santiago and asked the people to vote him into the Senate.

“If you don’t vote for him, I will appoint him. But not to PDEA, it will have a different name. I have to disband PDEA,” Duterte said.

Duterte did not elaborate, but during the burning of P500 million worth of cocaine in Davao City in 2014 he said he wanted the destruction of the drugs done in his city because he knew the cocaine would end up being resold in the streets.

“I will not allow na igawas na sa Davao… Pag abot anag Manila mo libot na pud na (I will not allow it to leave Davao… When it reaches Manila it will be circulated again),” he said.

Santiago himself admitted that during his stint with PDEA, he had several personnel investigated for allegedly coddling drug pushers and even drug lords.

He said it is disappointing that these personnel are still in active duty up to this time at the anti-drug enforcement agency. “Inadopt sila ng mga pumalit sa akin (They were adopted by those who replaced me),” he said.

“There is something wrong going on with PDEA. A lifestyle check should be done among PDEA personnel. The cleansing should be a continuing process,” Santiago said in a statement.

Santiago said the problem does not end with PDEA.

“Kailangan tutukan ang investigation ng mga personnel na may kaso hanggang sa civil service (We must closely follow the investigation on personnel who have cases all the way up to the Civil Service Commission),” he said.

Earlier, Duterte clarified he will not back out from the second leg of the presidential debate to be held in Cebu City on Sunday, March 20.