INTERIOR Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. yesterday asked all generals and full colonels in the PNP to submit courtesy resignations as part of efforts to rid the police force of officials involved in the illegal drugs trade.
In a press conference at Camp Crame, Abalos admitted the move is a “very radical approach” to the problem but stressed this has to be done to cleanse the PNP of erring officials.
No deadline for the submission of resignations has been set.
Abalos said even PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. is not spared from his appeal. He said there are around 300 generals and full colonels in the PNP.
PNP public information office chief Col. Redrico Maranan said the PNP welcomes the call of Abalos.
“We in the PNP will follow the decision of our political leaders because we know that all decisions they make are for the good of our organization and for the good of the country,” said Maranan.
“We will support. Whatever is the decision of our political leaders, the PNP will support it because we know this is for the good of our organization and of our country… As (to) what our secretary said, this is part of our overall effort to cleanse our ranks,” he added.
Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III, however, said he found the call of Abalos “not logical at all” since even officers who are not involved in illegal drugs will be affected.
Abalos said the courtesy resignations will be screened by a committee composed of five individuals of impeccable integrity. He did not name the five for security reasons.
“I am not a member of the committee but these people are really trustworthy… I’ve seen the names. If I can only divulge their names, you will be surprised by the integrity of these people, I assure you that,” he said.
Explaining his “radical” call, Abalos said “this is the shortcut (to solve the problem in the PNP),” instead of charging erring officials in court or dismissing them.
Abalos added that pinning down the erring officials is “not that easy.
“We’ve been doing that but you know the court processes take a long time, there’s also technicality…This is the short cut,” he said.
Asked whether his appeal has the go-signal of President Marcos Jr., Abalos said: “We just discussed it here (DILG and PNP). I’m not going to answer that for the meantime. I discussed this matter with the chief PNP and others.”
He said the generals and colonels will remain in their positions and will continue to perform their jobs unless their resignations are accepted by the committee.
Abalos said his appeal was based on the recommendation of Azurin and other police officials after a thorough investigation on the seizure of nearly a ton of shabu and the arrest of a policeman in Manila last year.
Last October 8, police operatives arrested a suspected drug dealer, Ney Saligumba Atadero, in a buy-bust operation. He later led policemen to a lending firm in Manila where 990 kilos of shabu worth P6.7 billion was found.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo Jr., assigned with the PNP Drug Enforcement Group who allegedly owned the lending firm. Mayo yielded two kilos of shabu worth P13.6 million.
“It’s surprising, the infection in the PNP is severe. It’s not only Mayo but there are many policemen involved…After a thorough investigation that lasted for several months, it was determined that there is a big problem in the PNP,” said Abalos.
“It was determined that there are generals, there are colonels who are involved in drugs,” said Abalos, without identifying the generals and colonels.
He said the erring officials are occupying “very strategic positions in the PNP.”
He did not say how many colonels and generals in the PNP are involved in illegal drugs, which the Marcos administration has vowed to address by sustaining the intensity of the war on drugs of the previous Duterte administration.
“Based on the recommendation of the chief PNP and other officials, I am appealing to all full colonels and generals to submit their courtesy resignation(s). I know you will be surprised but this is the only way to make a fresh start…The word is appeal, I am appealing to them to submit a courtesy resignation,” said Abalos.
“It is a very radical approach to this problem but I do believe we must cleanse our ranks…There will be a committee of five. This committee (will) screen every (courtesy resignations),” he added.
Abalos said generals and colonels should not fear submitting their courtesy resignations if they are “clean.”
“If you did nothing wrong, if you know you are not involved (in illegal drugs), there is nothing to worry about…If you did nothing wrong, file (your courtesy resignations). If you are not going to file, you’re a bit questionable,” he said, adding: “It (their action) will be dealt with in accordance with the rules and regulations and the law.”
Abalos also admitted that “ninja cops,” or policemen involved in the illegal drugs trade, are back, as earlier alleged by Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, a former PNP chief.
“I would say yes, there are. So, this is one way of cleansing it, this is one way of cleansing our ranks,” he said, adding he is confident the move will be supported by the PNP and by the public as well.
The move, he said, will be beneficial to ordinary policemen risking their lives to perform their duties not knowing that their superiors are linked to drugs.
“I know they will side with the truth; they will side (with) what’s good for everyone, they will side with us,” said Abalos.
“Remember this, for evil to triumph, it is for all men to do nothing. We cannot allow that.
Let us join hands in this fight (against illegal drugs). This is for us, for our children, for our country and for our future. I hope we will help each other,” he added.
Abalos said his call is nothing new, noting this was also done during the time of former President Fidel Ramos.
“This was done in 1992, if I’m not mistaken, by President Ramos…There is already a precedent on the call for the courtesy resignation of officers… It was not about drugs, it was another issue if you will recall,” said Abalos.
Pimentel said he could not believe that Abalos made such a call that he found “very strange and too broad.”
“Yes, unfair request and also not logical at all…I find that ‘call or request’ very strange and too broad as it will also affect those who are truly innocent and even those who are outstanding in their jobs,” Pimentel said.
He said Abalos should have instead pursued the matter on a case-to-case basis.
“Identify the crooked and prosecute them. Those who protect the crooked are ‘in conspiracy’ with them and should be charged, too, under the conspiracy theory,” he added.
PNP SUPPORTS CALL
In a statement, Maranan said the PNP “strongly supports” the call of Abalos in his “fervent desire to cleanse the ranks of the PNP from misfits, especially those who have involvement in illegal drugs.”
Maranan said third level officers or generals and colonels “will be undergoing a thorough vetting process to determine whether or not they have had involvement in illegal drugs activities.
“While the PNP supports the intention of the SILG (Secretary of Interior and Local Government) to cleanse the ranks, the PNP also believes that 3rd level officers who have no involvement with illegal drugs deserve to be cleared from all doubts, innuendos or perception as to their service integrity and reputation,” said Maranan.
“To this end, a committee of five, with impeccable character and unquestionable integrity, shall conduct the fair assessment and evaluation based on available facts, official reports, and other possible means as may be wanting,” added Maranan.
Maranan said the PNP considers the move as an “opportunity to aggressively, yet prudently, cleanse the ranks of the whole PNP and a chance to show the integrity of the organization amidst issues affecting its members.”
In an earlier meeting among generals and colonels, Maranan said “it was made clear that while this whole process is underway, they are still ordered and obligated to continue to perform their respective mandates as necessary and as required of them.”
“Although some clarifications were raised in relation to this move, the 3rd level officers conveyed positive reception on this,” Maranan added.
Maranan said Azurin and the entire police force “are one with SILG in his good intention to cleanse the ranks of the PNP and rid the organization of the very few scalawags.
“We likewise trust that these assessments and evaluations among our members will be fair and impartial throughout the process,” Maranan said.
He said Azurin will be the first to submit himself to the “assessment and evaluation process.”
“Most importantly, the PNP has full faith in the wisdom of Secretary Abalos and our leaders which is always geared towards the good of the PNP organization and of the country,” added Maranan.
