The Philippine National Police has directed its units in areas with known presence of communist insurgents to be on their toes to prevent incidents similar to the attack on the town hall and police station of Lapinig, Northern Samar last week.
Speaking to newsmen, PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said the PNP would also investigate the possible liability of police officials in the area in connection with the incident, which resulted in the loss of at least 10 service firearms from the PNP along with other equipment.
Part of the investigation would look into why there were only six policemen on duty at the time, Albayalde said.
The PNP chief noted that the incident was earlier reported as a mere harassment attack before the true extent of the ransacking was bared.
“[W]e are reminding our troops, especially in critical areas and infested to undertake target hardening measures,” he said.
Albayalde said the decision to relieve the personnel involved should serve as a warning to other officials and the “need to emphasize our one-strike policy against lackluster performance” by PNP personnel.
Police Regional Office 8 (Eastern Visayas) director Chief Supt. Mariel Magaway was relieved from his post following the attack by communist rebels early Friday morning and was replaced by PNP Aviation Security Group director Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos.
Albayalde also ordered the relief of all personnel of the Lapinig Municipal Police Station in Northern Samar and their immediate superior officers as an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the raid is underway.
Reports said at least 100 New People’s Army members laid siege to the town around 2 am.
Two policemen, PO1 Edison Aguirre and PO2 Gerry Quilicol, were wounded in the reported initial firefight with the armed group. They were taken to the Gamay District Hospital for medical treatment.
Others relieved from their post were Insp. Noli Montebon, Lapinig chief of police; Chief Insp. Juan Byron Leogoe, commander of the 2nd Northern Samar Provincial Mobile Force Company; and Northern Samar provincial director Senior Supt. Romeo Campomanes.
Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Monday that to ensure its new recruits to learn to uphold the law instead of violating it, the Philippine National Police take full responsibility—and accountability—for their training.
Lacson, who headed the PNP from 1999 to 2001, said that this should greatly help in the police force’s internal cleansing.
“In past months, we have seen how police officers, many of them non-commissioned ones with the ranks of PO1 and PO2, had been involved in heinous crimes. It’s about time we revisit the law to make the PNP the premier educational and training institution for our policemen and policewomen,” he said.
Lacson is to sponsor this coming week Senate Bill 1898, which amends Sections 66 and 67 of Republic Act 6975. The present law mandates the Philippine Public Safety College to train police personnel.
Senate Bill 1898 seeks to place the Philippine National Police Academy – which trains commissioned officers – and the National Police Training Institute – which trains non-commissioned officers – under the PNP’s administrative and operational supervision and control.
The bill specifies that the PNPA, which will be the primary source for commissionship of Police Inspectors, will be under the supervision and control of the Chief PNP. The NPTI will be responsible for the mandatory and leadership training of police non-commissioned officers.
“To pinpoint responsibility and accountability in the recruitment and training of police officers, the responsibility of training new recruits should go to the PNP,” Lacson said.
Lacson noted hearings conducted by the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs which he chairs found that police officers involved in crimes such as bribery, extortion, kidnapping, illegal drugs, and even planting of evidence, involved relatively new members of the PNP.
Earlier this year, he noted that police officers with the ranks of PO1 and PO2 had been linked to a kidnap-for-ransom case in Taguig City.
On the other hand, graduates of the PNPA had been linked to a robbery-extortion case in 2014.
Just this week, President Rodrigo Duterte confronted in Malacanang several erring police personnel involved in various crimes including kidnapping, rape, extortion, and involvement in illegal drugs.
“With the transfer to the PNP of the training of police recruits, we can strengthen the foundation of a competent police force not just physically but also morally, Lacson said.