MANILA — Two dismissed police officers claim they were framed by their superiors and fellow cops during the war on drugs of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration.

Former Police Officer 1 Marco Almario of Zambales Provincial Police Office and Patrolman Sonny Reyes of Quezon City Police District Station 11 made the revelation during the House Committee on Public Order and Safety briefing on Monday.

They shared their experience and what led to them being dismissed from the service.

"Victim po ako. Inaresto po niya [chief of police] ako sa station namin then forcibly pinunta niya ako sa prison cell Tinaniman po niya ako ng illegal drugs saka baril," Almario said of his arrest in October 2016.

Almario denied being on the drug watchlist and the the criminal case against him has been dismissed.

"Nag file po ako ng memorandum of appeal, nasa DILG na po... [Yung criminal case,] dismissed na po, your honor," he said.

Almario said the chief of police in the Masinloc Police Station was the one behind the trumped up drug charges.

Reyes was arrested in 2017 after he sought police assistance in apprehending a neighbor who was pretending to be a cop.

READ: Lawmakers seek budget for legal assistance for cops affected by war on drugs

"Drugs at baril tinaniman po nila ako. May nagpapanggap na pulis sa lamay ng kapitbahay namin. Tiningnan ko po tinanong ko kung pulis ba talaga yun. Nagpatawag ako ng assistance na police. Dumating yung dalawa at tinurnover ko sa kanila," he recounted.

"Sinabi na sumama ako sa presinto para magsampa ng kaso. Pero pag dating namin sa presinto sa Police Station 11 ng Quezon City kami na po ang binaliktad. Napag alaman namin na yung taong yun asset po ng Police Station 11. Ang masakit po nga po, pati po yung mga anak ko, dinamay po. Apat kami na kinulong," Reyes added.

The former cop said he shouldered all the legal expenses in facing the cases. His children also faced robbery and holdup charges.

"Na-dismiss naman po lahat ng pinatong nila sa aking kaso. Abswelto po ako. Pero yun pong administrative charges doon po ako na dismiss. (So yung criminal [case], dismissed?) Opo," Reyes said.

House panel chairperson Santa Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez called on the Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS) to look into similar cases.

"May mga sitwasyon talaga na nakakaawa yung mga pulis na, for example, sabihin natin na hindi sila talaga involved. Wala silang perang pang tanggol sa sarili nila. Naapektuhan siya at ang pamilya niya, career, reputasyon, dignidad niya. Nakakalungkot," he said.

Two other cops who were also dismissed, but not for illegal drug charges, appealed for help after they shouldered the expenses for the cases against them.

Surigao Del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said many officers like those who spoke at the hearing, face financial struggles with regards to legal representation.

"Base po sa datos na binigay ni Chief PNP [Rommel Marbil] ay marami pong miyembro ng PNP ay nahaharap sa mga kasong administratibo at kasong kriminal and nangangailangan po sila ng abogado," he said.

Misamis Oriental 2nd District Representative Yevgeny Emano proposed funding for the PNP-IAS should not be under the PNP.

He suggested that findings of the body should not be approved by the PNP chief.

Meanwhile, Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop questioned why the PNP has not turned over all of the firearms recovered from the listed 6,000 drug war deaths.

PNP said over 1,124 firearms were turned over to the court or prosecuted, while others are under the custody of the PNP forensic group.

"There are cases that the court will have final disposition where particular evidence like firearms will be submitted to the court. There are some courts that refuse to take custody ng mga baril, even some pieces of evidence because they don't have proper storage," Fajardo said.

Rep. Acop  required the PNP to submit an inventory of firearms recovered from crime scenes involving anti-illegal drug operations.

In the same hearing, Fajardo denied the existence of a quota system based on her personal experience as chief of police.

"I could say in all honesty there was no quota given to us, let’s say oh in a week meron ka dapat arrest na five. There was no written whatsoever, even verbal instruction to us to come up with a number of arrests in a week's time. Probably sir there were some of the stations at the height of their careers, would like to impress their superiors and deliver accomplishments," she said.

However, she said there is an expected number of houses needed for them to visit under Oplan Tokhang depending on the number of drug personalities in the area.

Rep. Fernandez said the motu proprio investigation is focused on the police officers facing administrative and criminal cases linked to the war on drugs.

He said police officers are also victims of the drug war, some were wounded or killed, while others face charges for following orders.