PNP Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City. (Photo from the PNP Facebook page)
MANILA, Philippines — Seventeen remaining police generals and colonels in the country are yet to answer the quit call of Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr.
This was revealed Tuesday by Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo, who noted that they received 935 out of 952 expected courtesy resignations from high-ranking police officers as of January 16.
Fajardo then explained that the total number of third-level officers, or those holding leadership positions at the PNP, further declined to 952 due to retirement.
Nevertheless, the 17 senior PNP officials are expected to comply and submit their courtesy resignations before the January 31 deadline set by PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr.
“As of yesterday, 935 out of 952 or 98.21 percent [of the top PNP officials],” she told INQUIRER.net in a text message.
Azurin earlier said seven of the top-ranking PNP officers – two generals and five colonels – have not tendered their courtesy resignations as they are also expected to retire within the first quarter of the year.
“The rest, we believe…I hope they are still finding discernment. Pinag-iisipan mabuti if they are going to file or not. Baka iniisip nila, anyway, January 31 pa naman ang deadline, so we are hopeful that they would eventually also submit their courtesy resignations,” he said.
(The rest, we believe… I hope they are still finding discernment. They are still thinking about whether they are going to file or not. Maybe they’re thinking that the deadline is still on January 31, so we are hopeful that they would eventually also submit their courtesy resignations.)
READ: 929 top cops heed courtesy resignation call; 24 more yet to resign
According to Azurin, some top PNP officials fear being falsely accused of involvement in illegal drugs if they heed Abalos’ plea.
They also worry that their personal issues with the members of the five-man committee tasked to evaluate the PNP senior officials would affect the judgment on them, Azurin added.
Last week, Abalos called for the voluntary resignation of the PNP’s top brass in line with government efforts to weed out so-called ninja cops or police officers and officials with alleged links to the illegal drug trade.
Abalos had said he expects the five-man panel to conclude its review in two to three months, in time for Azurin’s retirement on April 24 and the naming of a new PNP chief.
The National Police Commission — where Abalos, being the head of the Department of Interior and Local Government, and Azurin, being the chief of the PNP, sit as chairperson and ex-officio commissioner, respectively — will also conduct a subsequent review of the courtesy resignations before submitting the final names to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for necessary action.
According to Abalos and Azurin, an accepted courtesy resignation would mean that the police official was found linked to the illicit drug trade.
Abalos had also said that if evidence against an officer found associated with illegal drugs is insufficient to build an airtight case, the police official will be allowed to “retire peacefully.”
But he later pointed out that “the monitoring and investigation must continue, to gather evidence that may lead to eventual criminal prosecution.”
READ: Abalos: If case weak vs ‘narco’ cops, ‘let them retire peacefully’