MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis Tolentino and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Archie Gamboa on Wednesday had an exchange of words regarding whether or not policemen under investigation should be in proper uniform when attending a Senate hearing.
“I’ll be writing to the committee formally a communication relative to the [wearing] of police uniforms during committee investigations especially if you are involved in an act, such as this, being investigated,” Tolentino said during a Senate dangerous drugs committee hearing on the misencounter between police officers and soldiers in Jolo, Sulu, which resulted to the death of four military intelligence personnel.
“I think it is quite proper and appropriate that officers under investigation should not be in their uniforms, because the uniform is a symbol of authority, a symbol of justice, a symbol of security, especially with badges,” he added.
Tolentino’s suggestion came as the six Jolo policemen and three members of the Sulu Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU), who were tagged in the shooting of the intelligence operatives, attended in the Senate hearing in their police uniform.
Instead, the senator suggested that those under probe should be in detainee shirts.
“The more appropriate attire would be for the accused to be wearing detainee shirts not the uniforms which gives honor to the Philippine National Police as an organization,” he said.
But Gamboa, upon hearing Tolentino’s suggestion, disagreed.
“The Philippine National Police, under the regulations that are existing now, we don’t even have the power to place in custodial investigation any police officer,” the PNP chief told Tolentino.
“The most that we can do is to subject those who are probably respondents, if it is an administrative case, or suspects or accused in criminal cases, the most that we can do is to restrict them, ang tawag namin ay (we call it) restrictive custody, we cannot even detain them,” he added.
The PNP chief went on to say that Tolentino’s suggestion was “not proper,” and that the nine policemen were not even charged in court.
“If these facts are true, that they have been charged in court, there’s a commitment order, there’s a warrant of arrest, we would be very glad to turn them over to the court who has jurisdiction,” Gamboa said.
“But nonetheless, with due respect to the committee, we cannot allow our policemen appearing in the Senate wearing the detainee uniform, when in fact, they are not yet so,” the PNP chief added.