Next PNP chief should restore institution’s ‘affected image’ – general
Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, chief of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), talks to members of the media following a press briefing with Malacañang reporters on Friday, November 15, 2019. De Leon says the next chief of the Philippine National Police should be able to restore the “affected image” of the institution. NESTOR CORRALES/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — The next chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) should be able to restore the “affected image” of the institution a ranking police official said Friday.
“It doesn’t matter who will be the chief PNP, what matters is the person should lead the organization to restore back the affected image of the PNP,” Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, chief of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), told reporters in Malacañang.
Duterte has yet to appoint a new PNP director after its former chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde resigned in October at the height of an investigation on so-called “ninja cops” and eventually retired from service on November 8.
Ninja cops is a police term that refers to rogue policemen, who pilfer and re-sell (recycle) drugs confiscated during anti-illegal drugs operations.
Duterte told reporters on October 28 that it’s “very hard” to choose the “appropriate guy” to head the PNP, which was rocked by the “ninja cops” scandal.
READ: Duterte is having a hard time choosing next PNP chief
Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa – currently the PNP officer-in-charge, Lt. Gen. Camilo Cascolan, and Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar have been floated as candidates for the PNP chief post but Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the President is considering two more police generals aside from the three names Año recommended.
“I have been in the service for more than 30 years, what is [important] here is to restore the affected image [of the PNP]. Come to think of what transpired in the controversy,” De leon said.
Albayalde and his 13 subordinates when he was Pampanga police chief are facing charges for allegedly recycling illegal drugs seized from a raid in Mexico town in 2013.
But De Leon cited the urgency for Duterte to appoint a new PNP chief, saying “there are limitations for the officer in charge to dispatch [his duties].”
“We also really need a chief PNP so as not to have speculations, divisions in the organization,” he said.
Edited by KGA
