Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., PNP chief.. (Photo from the Facebook page of the Office of the Chief PNP)
MANILA, Philippines — As head of the five-member committee that will review the courtesy resignations of high-ranking police colonels and generals in the country, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. on Wednesday vowed that the process would not be swayed by politics or personal biases.
Saying that the “zero-tolerance” policy would be adhered to, Azurin said he knew it would be challenging, but he thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. for giving him the job of heading the team that would trace high-ranking PNP officers suspected of being involved in the drug trade.
“With this tall order, I assure all the third-level officers of the PNP that the processes to be undertaken will be fair, objective, and judicious at all stages, making sure that zero tolerance for personal biases and political color shall be observed,” he said in a statement.
READ: PNP hopes body to vet resignations will be ‘bias-free’
Azurin also committed that at the end of this process, the PNP “will be in good and reliable hands of trustworthy third-level officers.”
“This moment in the PNP’s transformation journey will surely carve a mark in the nation’s history, and I am proud to be part of it,” he added.
The country’s top cop then called on the public to place their “trust and faith in the process” as they work towards improving the PNP.
Azurin will be joined by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong Jr., former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr., Undersecretary for the Presidential Adviser on Military Affairs Isagani Neres and another member who requested not to be named in the five-man panel.
Azurin, as head of the PNP, is also an ex-officio member of the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
The Napolcom, where Abalos sits as chairperson, will amend or trim down the list of top PNP officials found linked to the illegal trade before turning over their courtesy resignations to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for necessary action.
According to Abalos, 12 of the 955 senior PNP officers did not tender their courtesy resignations.
“But if you think about it, only one did not comply with the call. Why? Of the 12, five have already retired. So that leaves us with seven. And of the seven, six are retiring. If we’re going to look at the figures, technically, only one has not yet submitted their resignation out of 955,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.