MANILA, Philippines — Opposition Senator Leila de Lima on Monday slammed the Philippine National Police (PNP) for allowing what she called “celebrity cops,” who are in the drug watchlist, to retire early.
“After the so-called ‘ninja’ cops, now the celebrity cops… They are the police officers the PNP has generously gifted with a graceful exit through optional retirement as a way of glossing over their involvement in illegal drugs,” De Lima said in a statement from her detention at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
“Ano ito, fan club? Nasaan ang pananagutan sa batas? Hindi nireregaluhan ng magarbong retirement plan ang taong-gobyerno na nagkasala sa batas at uniporme, kundi pinananagot sa husgado,” she added.
(What is this, a fan club? Where’s the accountability in our law. You don’t gift people in government and uniformed men with a grand retirement plan, but you punish them in court.)
PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa earlier said that some of the 357 police officers being investigated for alleged involvement in illegal drugs have expressed their intention to avail of optional retirement.
Gamboa, however, said this does not mean that erring cops would be off the hook.
But De Lima insisted those erring cops should be sacked and charged.
Allowing them to retire early has the effect of coddling illegal drug activity and giving them reward for their misdeeds.
“This is not a simple case of setting an example for the police force. This is a serious case of coddling illegal drug activity, and the law must hold those involved to account,” said De Lima.
“Bakit kapag pobre ang naligaw ang landas dahil sa droga pinapatumba agad? Pero kapag pulis o opisyal ng gobyerno ang kumikita sa droga ay ginagawaran pa ng maagang retirement?” she further said.
(Why is it that when a poor man loses his way because of drugs you, he is gunned down right away? But if it’s a policeman or a government official, who earns money from drugs, they are even rewarded with early retirement?)