Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said Wednesday he is set to reveal the names of resigned police generals and colonels who are suspected to be involved in the illegal drug trade.
“Just wait. It’s now with the National Police Commission (Napolcom) and I, myself sit there as the chairman. With me is the new chief of PNP, Gen. (Benjamin) Acorda, and our vice chairman (Alberto) Bernardo and there are other commissioners. We are going to make a statement. Just give us about probably two days so we can cover all the legalities. When we make a statement, we want to make sure that everything is really airtight,” Abalos told reporters.
“I just want to assure the public there is really a house cleansing but we also want to make sure we really observe all the legalities here,” he added.
In January, Abalos called for the courtesy resignation of full colonels and generals as part of the government’s efforts to cleanse the ranks and get rid of “bad eggs” within the PNP.
The five-man panel tasked to evaluate the resigned police officials already completed its work.
Earlier reports said the team recommended filing cases against four ranking police officials.
There were also reports quoting former PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. that the four officials are two generals and two colonels.
The four were included in the 36 remaining officials that will undergo further review by Napolcom.
Abalos initiated the PNP “house cleansing” amid reports of the return of so-called “ninja cops” in the police force, who make money by reselling confiscated drugs.
The DILG chief said there is a need to take a radical approach versus illegal drugs by cleansing the PNP because it is unfair to the majority of the police officers who are putting their lives on the line everyday to combat illegal drugs while some of their bosses in the organization are behind the illegal drug trade.
“Many policemen risk their own lives to suppress illegal drugs, but their boss is their enemy. It is very unfair to the majority of our police force who work honestly,” he said.
In October last year, anti-narcotics agents seized more than 900 kilos of shabu worth about P6.7 billion in Tondo, Manila from a suspected drug pusher, which also resulted in the arrest of a police officer.
The police officer was identified as Ney Saligumba Atadero, 50.
Atadero later told investigators that more illegal drugs were stored at a lending company office in Sta. Cruz, also in Manila.
The team came up with a follow up operation and discovered that another police officer assigned to the PNP Drug Enforcement Group’s Special Operations Unit in the National Capital Region was also involved.
Azurin confirmed in a message that the five-man panel had recommended the filing of charges against the two generals and two colonels
“We recommended it. And hopefully, chief PNP (Benjamin) Acorda will sustain our efforts on this,” said Azurin.
Azurin added that the next step would rest on how the Napolcom would act on the panel’s recommendations.
The advisory group also sent an earlier recommendation for Napolcom to conduct further investigation against 36 senior police officials over the possibility of their involvement in the narcotics trade.
Once that investigation is done, a recommendation will then be made to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Some 953 third-level officers – from colonels to generals – submitted their courtesy resignations and were assessed by the council with 917 members “cleared.”