Cops securing politicians without authorization risk dismissal

BENGUET, Philippines — Gen. Oscar Albayalde, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), warned on Saturday, March 30, that police officers who would provide unauthorized security to politicians might face dismissal from the service.

Albayalde said this a day after the start of the campaign period for the local polls on Friday, March 29, as he stressed that the PNP should remain apolitical as a law enforcement agency.

“I told them that we will be harsh on this,” he told reporters in a mix of Filipino and English during his visit to the Philippine Military Academy. “We will show no mercy to this. These police officers will surely face administrative cases that may lead to their dismissal.”

Albayalde said that the PNP had monitored a police officer with the rank of master sergeant who had been providing security to a politician in the province of Abra.

Albayalde did not name the politician, but he said the police officer had been relieved from his post and was now under investigation.

He said he had also directed the PNP Counter-Intelligence Task Force to conduct random inspection of different areas to check whether police officers are providing unauthorized security to politicians.

According to Albayalde, the PNP may deploy security detail to a politician only if permitted by the Commission on Elections.

He said the security detail should only be limited to two officers. /atm