UNDER SCRUTINY Policemen stand in formation at Camp Crame in Quezon City during a mass oath taking. —FILE PHOTO
The Philippine National Police is preparing to have all policemen in the country undergo regular neuropsychiatric tests to ascertain the mental fitness of the people tasked to enforce the law.
Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, the PNP chief, said he was looking to have all policemen undertake neuropsychiatric tests every three years “to further improve the general welfare of PNP personnel, especially those involved in ground operations.”
Eleazar said he would push through with the oft-repeated plan after a series of incidents that put into question the mental fitness of the people who are paid to maintain peace and order in the country.
Over the weekend, another policeman ran amok at the Manila Police District (MPD) headquarters resulting in his death and that of another.
“The investigation I ordered on the unfortunate incident at the Manila Police District goes beyond the shooting as this includes other aspects, such as possible mental health issues of our personnel,” Eleazar said.
Shooting rampage
According to initial reports, Police Executive Master Sergeant Reynante Dipasupil went on a shooting rampage inside the MPD headquarters on Friday night, which resulted in the death of Master Sergeant Romeo Cantal and the wounding of Staff Sergeant Reynaldo Cordova.
Dipasupil was supposedly drunk when he shot Cordova and started firing at the MPD offices, including that of District Director Leo Francisco, which prompted officers of the MPD Special Weapons and Tactics team to “neutralize” him.
During the shootout, Dipasupil fired at Cantal and was himself shot. Both policemen died while undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Mental state
“This recent incident at MPD, along with the previous ones, highlights the need for us to closely look into the overall state of our men,” Eleazar said.
Before Friday’s incident, the PNP had been seriously looking into a regular check on the emotional and mental state of police personnel following brutal killings committed by dismissed policemen Jonel Nuezca and Hensie Zinampan.
Nuezca had, in a fit of rage, shot dead his neighbor Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank Anthony in December last year while a drunken Zinampan killed 52-year-old Lilybeth Valdez on May 31 in Quezon City. Both incidents were caught on mobile phone video.
Earlier this month, a police trainee shot himself on the rooftop of his boarding house on June 6. He is said to be suffering from depression. The trainee survived the self-inflicted gunshot wound. INQ