Philippine National Police Chief Debold Sinas has ordered an expansion of the surprise drug testing of all police personnel in the internal cleansing program.
Sinas made the order after another policer officer assigned in Region 13 tested positive for shabu during a random drug testing in Butuan City early last week.
“I have ordered to expand random drug testing to all police personnel to rid the organization of drug-using cops. There is no place in the PNP for them,” Sinas said in a statement on Saturday.
He ordered Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr., Regional Police 13 director, to expedite the pre-charge investigation and initiate dismissal proceedings against Cpl. John Rey Ibasco, who is assigned to the Regional Logistics and Research Development Division 13.
Caramat ordered mandatory drug testing to 332 personnel stationed at the PRO-13 Regional Headquarters in Camp Col. Rafael Rodriguez.
On learning the results, Caramat ordered the RLRDD-13 leadership to disarm and place Ibasco under restrictive custody and to ensure his availability to face further investigation for his subsequent dismissal from the service.
A total of 16,839 police officers have been penalized since 2016 under the PNP’s internal cleansing program to rid its ranks of scalawags.
Data showed that 4,784 police personnel have been dismissed from the service, 8,349 have been suspended and 1,803 reprimanded.
The other punishments include demotion, forfeiture of salary, restriction and withholding of privileges.
Some 564 PNP personnel have also been removed for involvement in illegal drugs.