Albayalde spared from admin raps; DILG to only file case vs 13 ‘ninja cops’
MANILA, Philippines — Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde won’t be facing any administrative case in relation to the controversial 2013 drug bust in Pampanga.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said this Wednesday as it announced the filing of administrative charges against Albayalde’s subordinates – the 13 policemen tagged as “ninja cops” for allegedly pilfering and reselling the drugs seized from the raid in Mexico town.
According to the agency, the joint DILG and Philippine National Police Review Committee, led by Vice Chairman Rogelio Casurao and DILG Undersecretary Bernardo Florece, Jr., found no substantial evidence to file administrative cases against Albayalde, who was Pampanga police chief when the buy-operation happened.
Albayalde, who resigned as PNP’s top boss at the height of an investigation on the ninja cops controversy, is set to reach his mandatory service retirement age of 56 on November 8.
READ: Año says Albayalde could have been sacked for command responsibility
DILG further said in a statement that the National Police Commission (Napolcom) convened their Summary Hearing Board to tackle the charges against the 13 members of the Pampanga police that carried out the November 29, 2013, anti-drug operation.
DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said the charges that will be filed against the policemen “will not be for the same offenses for which they were charged in the past.”
Malaya said Napolcom will be a complaining witness and as such is “vested with competent jurisdiction on the matter.”
Malaya said these are the following charges that will be filed against the 13 policemen:
1. Serious irregularity in the performance of duty for mishandling of confiscated drugs and instruments and for failure to immediately mark, physical inventory, and photograph illegal drugs and other evidence after seizure and confiscation in the presence of the persons from whom the drugs were confiscated, thereby compromising the integrity and evidentiary value of the confiscated drugs;
2. Dishonesty for making untruthful statements in their affidavits of direct participation;
3. Grave misconduct for giving false testimony against the accused and making untruthful statements when they testified under oath during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing;
4. Grave irregularity in the performance of duty for improper handling and preparation of the buy-bust money in violation of procedural requirements, and for failure to account for the confiscated money.
The accused policemen will be placed under the custody of the PNP Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City pending the resolution of their administrative cases. /kga
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