MANILA, Philippines — Senator Richard Gordon on Friday said Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde should explain further and clear himself from the “ninja cops” controversy that the Senate is investigating.
“Ako I’m prone to say dapat magpaliwanag pa ng husto si Albayalde, ‘yon, isang conclusion ‘yun [one conclusion is that Albayalde should explain more],” Gordon told Radyo Inquirer 990AM when asked of his initial conclusion on the ongoing Senate inquiry.
READ: Gordon: Albayalde ‘dropped the ball’ big time
The chair of the Senate committee on justice and human rights also said another recommendation his panel may endorse is for PNP to immediately fire or suspend erring police officers instead of reassigning them.
“Pangalawa, dapat itigil na ‘yung transfer. Dapat pag may ginawang kriminalidad ang pulis o kalokohan, dapat either you remove them or you suspend them. You don’t throw them in Mindanao,” Gordon said.
(Secondly, the practice of transferring erring cops to remote areas should end. If a cop commits a crime or misconduct he or she should be removed or suspended. You don’t throw them to Mindanao.)
Albayalde is being accused of intervening in the case of 13 Pampanga police officers led by Major Rodney Baloyo in relation to a questionable drug operation in 2013. The cops who allegedly stashed shabu and accepted bribes, later faced demotion by a rank, instead of the original dismissal order.
Albayalde was chief of Pampanga PNP when the illegal buy-bust operation carried out by his men took place.
In light of the Senate probe on the issue, Albayalde’s former subordinates were placed in a floating status.
Albayalde had denied protecting the cops and vowed to refile the criminal and administrative cases against the police officers. But on Thursday, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino finally admitted that Albayalde had asked him not to implement the dismissal order against 13 Pampanga policemen.
READ: Aquino retracts: Albayalde asked me not to implement dismissal order vs Pampanga cops
Gordon, meanwhile, said Baloyo, who was cited in contempt and ordered detained by the Senate, would stay at the New Bilibid Prison until the end of the 18th Congress in 2020 until he shows “remorse.”
The senator said they would schedule the next hearing in the coming days. /kga