TWO Davao City policemen shown in a now viral video moonlighting as bodyguards for Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte are in hot water.
“The two policemen are not authorized (to serve as bodyguards). They are moonlighting,” PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil told reporters in Camp Crame.
The two, with the rank of executive master sergeant and staff sergeant, are assigned with the Davao City police office’s Station 12 and Station 7, respectively.
Marbil said the two policemen were seen in a video serving as Duterte’s bodyguards.
A report from the Davao City police office said the video, which spread on social media, showed Duterte “assaulting” a male individual in a bar in the city on February 24.
The victim has filed cases of physical injuries and grave threats against Duterte before the Department of Justice.
The Davao City police said the policemen were subjected to pre-charge investigation for grave irregularities in the performance of duty for “acting as bodyguards for a public official without proper authority.”
Marbil said two Armed Forces personnel were also seen in the video. The Davao City police said the two are members of the Air Force with rank of staff sergeant and sergeant.
Marbil said the policemen surrendered their firearms and their identification cards but later went on AWOL, or absent without office leave.
Marbil said the two policemen will be discharged, adding that their immediate superiors may suffer the same fate “for allowing them (to moonlight as bodyguards), for not accounting them.”
He said PNP personnel are supposed to be accounted every day. “That (moonlighting) won’t happen if they (superiors of the two policemen) did not manipulate their report,” he said.
“We did this in the SAF (Special Action Force) last time,” said Marbil, referring to the dismissal of two SAF members and their superiors for a similar moonlighting case.
In November last year, Marbil approved the dismissal from the service of two SAF policemen who were caught illegally serving as bodyguards of a Chinese national.
Nine of their superiors were also dismissed from the service for allegedly conspiring to cover up the illegal activities of the two policemen.
Marbil said the commanders of the two Davao City policemen moonlighting as bodyguards will be charged for dishonesty, which may lead to their eventual dismissal from the service.
“Once we file a dishonesty (case), that’s perpetual disqualification from any government post,” said Marbil.
“This is our warning to our policemen, make sure to take your job religiously,” added Marbil.
