ILOILO City – Police generals and colonels in Western Visayas will be submitting courtesy resignations, according to the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
“We have to follow the order of Secretary Abalos,” said Police Brigadier General Leo Francisco, the region’s police director.
In a radical move to cleanse the Philippine National Police (PNP) of officials linked to illegal drugs, Department of Interior and Local Government secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. on Wednesday appealed for all police colonels and generals to tender their resignations.
The PRO-6 has 20 officials with the rank of colonel and two brigadier generals.
“Willing po kami for evaluation at kahit investigation kasi we are not guilty and we are not involved in illegal drugs,” Francisco told Panay News.
The PRO-6 director also said he is willing to show their drug accomplishments.
“This is an opportunity para malaman kung sino talaga ang involved sa illegal drugs. We have to explain to my regional and command staff that the PNP chief and Secretary Abalos have good intensions for the entire organization,” said Francisco.
Abalos’ appeal, he added, “is also our chance to clear our names and make a statement that we are supporting the programs and the transformation of our PNP organization.”
“Wala naman tayong dapat katakutan. Lalabas at lalabas ang katotohanan. Let us trust the process of investigating who the rogue cops are,” Francisco further said in a statement released by the PRO-6 also yesterday afternoon.
In a press briefing in Camp Crame earlier yesterday, Abalos said asking for the courtesy resignation of PNP officials may be the quickest way for the country to address the drug menace that has infiltrated the police force.
He said that the move was recommended by PNP chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. himself after Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa confirmed the presence of “ninja cops” in the police force.
“Pagkatapos naming pag-aralan ng ilang buwan ang problema natin, lumalabas na malaki ang problema dito sa kapulisan. Lumalabas na meron mga generals, merong mga colonel na sangkot sa droga. All full colonels to generals. We are appealing, the word is appeal. I am appealing for them to submit courtesy resignations. We got a list and for us this is upon the recommendation of our chief PNP and other hierarchy of the PNP. This is the only way to cleanse the ranks fast,” Abalos said.
Abalos did not mention any deadline on when concerned officials must submit their courtesy resignations.
He said a five-member committee will carefully look into the records of the ranking PNP officials and come up with a recommendation to clear them or dismiss them from the service.
The DILG chief admitted that the courtesy resignation is an appeal devoid of any directive which is similar to what was done during the time of former President Fidel V. Ramos under different circumstances.
“It’s a very radical approach pero alam ko magtatagumpay tayo. Inuulit ko kapulisan, huwag kayo mag-alala. For the meantime tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang serbisyo. Huwag sila mag-alala, kung sila malinis wala naman problema. Maayos naman ito. Iilan lang ito, maniwala kayo. Pero nasa posisyon silang critical. Ang sinumpaan natin sa ating batas when we took our oath of office as public officials is in accordance with the Constitution, tandaan niyo ito – ang maglingkod sa bayan,” he stressed.
While admitting that the measure is a shortcut to the usual process, Abalos explained that resorting to legal remedies would entail a longer time frame even if the culprits are already pinpointed.
Meanwhile, PNP public information office chief, Police Colonel Redrico Maranan, said they are supportive of the DILG chief’s move.
“Kami po sa pambansang pulisya ay susunod at tatalima sa kung ano ang desisyon ng political leaders. Ang alam naman naming ay ang lahat ng desisyon ay para sa ikabubuti ng organisasyon at ng bansa,” Maranan said.
OVER P249-M ILLEGAL DRUGS SEIZED IN WV IN 2022
Francisco said PRO-6 records showed that from January to December of 2022, more than P249 million worth of illegal drugs were seized in Western Visayas.
From a total of 1,500 operations, more than 36 kilos of shabu and seven kilos of marijuana were confiscated, with a total standard drug price of P249 million.
With PRO-6’s relentless efforts to win the campaign against illegal drugs, 1,843 illegal drug peddlers were arrested last year. These included 1,687 drug pushers, 87 drug users, and 46 drug pushers-users, and three marijuana cultivators and 20 minors.
Data from the PRO-6 also showed that as of Dec. 22, 89.92 percent of the total barangays in the region were declared as “drug-cleared” by the Regional Oversight Committee Deliberation Board (ROCDB), composed of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Health, DILG, and PNP.
Meanwhile, during Azurin’s recent visit in Iloilo City, he said the PNP is gaining of its campaign against illegal drugs, with less killings and more seizures.
He said that from January to December, around P10 billion worth of shabu were seized across the country based on their confiscated items through drug operations.
“Less ang killings yet we seized P10 billion worth of shabu kasi nag-level up na tayo ngayon ng ating kampanya sa droga. Now we are planning na paigtingin natin ang drug rehabilitation at education sa mga drug users,” the PNP chief said. (With reports from the Philippine News Agency)/PN
