CAMP DANGWA, Benguet — Sixty-three police officers assigned to the Police Regional Office-Cordillera and 10 non-uniformed personnel (NUP) were removed from service as part of the ongoing internal cleansing program of the Philippine National Police.
Acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. recently announced that a total of 5,652 PNP personnel in different parts of the country have been removed from the PNP organization due to various cases.
Apart from those who were dismissed, three police personnel were fined, 14 were demoted, 150 police and three NUP were suspended, 136 were reprimanded while 13 had their privileges withheld.
“These numbers are a manifestation that we do not tolerate any member of the PNP organization who violates the law,” said Police Regional Office-Cordillera Director Brigadier General Ronald Oliver Lee.
In 2019, PROCOR was labeled as the ‘Home of Most Disciplined Cops’ based on the National Police Commission’s Assessment Report.
To ensure the discipline of PROCOR policemen, Lee is collaborating with the Regional Internal Affairs Service (RIAS), PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) and NAPOLCOM in conducting the Internal Cleansing Program of the PNP.
Aside from that, Lee regularly conducts station visits and inspections at various police provincial offices to personally check the welfare and situation of his personnel on the ground.
He also directed the Regional Crime Laboratory Service to continue to conduct random and regular drug tests to ensure that all personnel comply with the aggressive campaign against illegal drugs.
Lt. Col. Marcial Paclibon, RIAS regional director, reported that from January to July 26 of the year, 20 administrative cases involving 44 police officers were recorded, compared to 22 cases in 2021.
According to Paclibon, although the year has not yet ended, the number of cases recorded by police personnel in their office is high, five of them are not PROCOR personnel, but from the support units that will be involved in the case in the Cordillera jurisdiction.
Of the 15 remaining cases, six are administrative cases (lawful performance of duty involving 28 personnel).
“Out of the total 20 cases before the end of the year, only nine can be considered serious cases, the misconduct of police personnel who were charged because there was a complainant,” explained Paclibon
When the policemen fire their guns during an operation that could result in the death or injury to individual/s, even if there is no complainant, the case is directly investigated by the RIAS.