At least 1,370 police officers with blood relations and affinity to candidates vying for various elective posts in 2019 midterm elections would be reshuffled from their present posts.
The move has been approved by Philippine National Police chief General Oscar Albayalde to prevent the said police officers from engaging in partisan politics.
Albayalde’s move came in the form of an administrative order, which aim to ensure impartiality and non-partisan in the enforcement of the laws by police personnel, particularly in areas where they have relatives who are candidates for local election positions.
To be affected by the ‘limited’ reshuffle are 121 provincial directors, city directors, mobile force commander, and chiefs of police who have reached the maximum two years tour of duty in their assignments.
“As non-partisan and deputized law enforcement agency of the Commission on Elections, we strongly and firmly remain faithful to our apolitical mandate to ensure and protect the will of the electorate towards honest, orderly and peaceful elections,” Albayalde said.
Police Major Lyndon Cubos, chief of the directorate for personnel and records management said there are 1,858 PNP personnel who have blood relations and affinity to politicians who are candidates in the coming elections.
However, only 1,370 are presently assigned in the political jurisdictions of the candidates, while 488 are assigned elsewhere, thus most of them need not be relieved from their present assignments.
Affected by the reassignment were 26 Police Commissioned Officers and 1,344 police Non-commissioned Officers.
At the same time, the PNP has issued resignation orders to five police personnel who were deemed resigned from the police service upon their filing of Certificates of Candidacy for local elective posts.
The five resigned PNP personnel are vying for elective posts as Vice Mayor and Municipal Councilor in Bukidnon, Surigao del Norte, Northern Samar, Lanao del Sur, and Zamboanga del Sur.
Comelec Resolution No. 10420 states that “any person holding a public appointed office or position, including those in uniformed service, shall be considered ipso facto resigned from the office and must vacate the same at the start of the day of the filing of COC.”