PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. yesterday said he has dismissed from the service a police lieutenant colonel who was arrested at a Quezon City bar last November for firing his firearm.
“As of this date, his dismissal order was already served,” Acorda told a press briefing at the PNP national headquarters in Camp Crame, referring to Lt. Col. Mark Julio Abong.
“I already signed the dismissal order and it should be implemented and, based on our records, he is already dismissed,” added Acorda.
Acorda said Abong may appeal his dismissal, adding “it is his right to appeal.
“But based on the provisions of existing policies, the decision is executory, meaning while he may render his appeal or submit his appeal, the decision should stand. He is dismissed from the service,” said Acorda.
Acorda said Abong is not entitled to receive benefits from the PNP because he was dismissed.
Abong, assigned with the PNP Legal Service in Camp Crame, gained further notoriety when he was arrested at the Ralyoz Bar in Barangay Laging Handa, Quezon City last November.
Abong, armed with a handgun, argued with one of the customers outside the bar. He then fired his firearm and pointed his gun at one of his companions.
Abong was previously assigned as chief of the QCPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU). He was relieved from that post after figuring in a hit-and-run case.
In November, the Department of Interior and Local Government affirmed a decision by the National Police Commission to dismiss Abong. The order was relayed to the PNP for implementation.
Abong’s dismissal stemmed from a hit-and-run case in August 2022 that led to the death of a tricycle driver.
