Albayalde sorry for not appealing relief order in 2014

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde on Wednesday said he is “really sorry” that he did not appeal his 2014 relief order as then Pampanga police director.

Albayalde was relieved from his post as the provincial director of Pampanga PNP for command responsibility over an irregular anti-illegal drug sting in November 2013.

He reasoned that it’s part of the service in the PNP to “never make a motion” to appeal one’s relief or question the decision of superiors.

“I’m really sorry on why I did not make a motion [on my relief order]. You can never make a motion if you are on a floating status,” Albayalde said during the Senate inquiry into cases of “ninja cops.”

“Wala kang magawa [You can’t do anything], it’s part of the service,” he added.

Senator Richard Gordon, chair of the Senate justice and human rights committee that is conducting the probe, said that Albayalde should have asked why he was ordered relieved and why his men were under investigation.

“I believe you should’ve asked ‘bakit niyo ako tinanggal tapos ini-imbestigahan tao ko’ [‘why did you relieve me and having my men investigated],” the senator said.

“I don’t believe that even the PNP or any military or police organization, somebody can be just relieved and not be able to appeal his relief,” Gordon added.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former PNP chief himself, interjected and backed Albayalde’s remarks that police officers never question the orders of their superiors.

“Kultura na ‘yan sa military at saka sa police ‘yung aming kinahitnanan na we never question kung bakit kami ni-relieve, tinatanong na lang namin sarili namin, pero we never question our superior officers [It is a culture within the military and the police that we never question why we are relieved, we only question ourselves but never our superior officers],” Lacson said.

“Iba ang kultura sa civilian especially sa civil government, pwede mag-Motion for Reconsideration. Sa amin hindi ganoon. Pag tinanggal ka, without asking why, we follow [The culture in the civilian government is different when you can file a motion for reconsideration. In the police, that is not the case. When you are relieved, you follow without asking why],” he added. /jpv

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