National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Brigadier General Jonnel Estomo
MANILA, Philippines – Metro Manila police officers involved in illegal activities will be removed from their positions, said National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Brigadier General Jonnel Estomo.
Estomo passionately vowed to do this after three officers from the Ermita Police Station in Manila were arrested on Monday over alleged extortion.
READ: Three cops arrested for alleged extortion
“This is a warning to all police personnel in Metro Manila na hindi natin pwedeng i-tolerate ito. Hindi magandang halimbawa ito, so kung kailangan tanggalin ko sila sa police service, tanggalin natin. Hindi natin sila kailangan. Kailangan natin ng matitinong pulis,” he told reporters at Camp Bagong Diwa on Wednesday.
(This is a warning to all police personnel in Metro Manila. We will not tolerate this. This does not set an excellent example for the public, so if we need to remove them from the police force, we will. We don’t need them. What we need are decent policemen.)
Estomo is similarly committed to relieving police officers from their posts should they be found mishandling road incidents.
He said this when asked about Senator Raffy Tulfo airing his frustrations in dealing with the PNP, claiming that police officers facilitate settlements between parties caught in traffic troubles.
READ: Tulfo rebukes cops for wrong approach to road incidents; PNP chief Azurin vows probe
“Titingnan ko iyong ganitong aspeto…Kasi kung may makita akong ganiyan, hindi pag-uusapan kung rich o poor. Basta ang importante, kung ikaw ay nangotong, hindi pwede. Kailangan tanggalin ang pulis ng Metro Manila,” Estomo noted.
(I’ll look into this aspect. Whether you’re rich or poor, it won’t matter. What’s important is that any form of extortion or abuse of power will not be allowed. We will have to take them off the Metro Manila police force.)
Estomo, formerly the Bicol regional police director, formally took the helm of the NCRPO on Monday, August 15. He succeeded Major General Felipe Natividad, who now serves as the Area Police Command chief in Northern Luzon.