THE recent public hearing at the Senate committee on public order about the controversial police and PDEA operation in Manila last October 2022 that netted Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr with shabu worth millions of pesos is concerning in several ways.
Various levels of organic personnel in the police organization are involved in what is unraveling in the Senate hearing led by Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, a former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP). As observed by Dela Rosa and Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop at another hearing on the same problem in the House of Representatives, police officers from general to patrolman are now adept at invoking their right against self-incrimination in their desire to evade answering pointed questions from the legislators.
It has become a big challenge, therefore, for new PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. to ramp up the process of internal cleansing of the 220,000-strong national police organization.
‘Acorda is correct in implementing the policy that all disciplinary measures against erring cops should start from the level of all ground commanders.’
Acorda indicated that he has accepted the challenge, as the chief PNP urged the public to trust the PNP’s built-in mechanisms in disciplining its erring personnel. Acorda made the appeal following the recent involvement of certain police officers in criminal activities that have put the institution’s integrity in a bad light.
“The PNP, as an organization founded on professionalism, is more than equipped to undertake administrative investigation and if the circumstances warrant, render punitive actions against its personnel involved in criminal activities,” Acorda said.
These mechanisms are designed to ferret out the truth first and foremost, and according to Acorda, the same process would also give the opportunity to PNP officers under probe a venue to defend themselves against charges.
He assured the public that in all its internal investigation involving its personnel, the PNP will be transparent and impartial.
We note that the PNP’s Internal Affairs Services (IAS) and the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) are part of the built-in mechanisms within the organization designed to deal with erring personnel involved in criminal activities. Acorda is correct in implementing the policy that all disciplinary measures against erring cops should start from the level of all ground commanders.
If and when the police organization’s internal cleansing system fails, there is also the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) which is headed by the secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Benhur Abalos, to do the job. This is a higher body tasked by laws to address administrative cases involving police officers.
In the wake of the revelations of official misconduct being unveiled in the Senate and the House, it is well to support Acorda’s campaign to “probe violations of our internal rules by our own personnel as well as police involvement in outright criminal activities.”
We wished him success when he said “the entire PNP leadership is determined to apply the full extent of the law to rid the organization of the handful of undesirables who give the entire institution a bad name.”
