NCRPO probes ‘missing’ case folders of erring cops

Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., NCRPO chief. (Photo from the Facebook page of the Calabarzon Police Regional Office)

MANILA, Philippines — The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is investigating why and how some case folders of its personnel under probe for different administrative offenses were missing.

“When I came here, I found that several case folders, which had already been resolved by disciplinary authorities were not implemented. Some cases were also reversed or dismissed simply because of lapses in the procedure. Worse, some of these folders have been missing,” NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. told reporters on Friday.

Nartatez did not give the exact numbers of the cases folders but instead noted the 178-percent increase in the number of administrative cases his administration had resolved.

From January to June last year during the administration of then-NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Alan Okubo, who preceded Nartatez, only 155 administrative cases against NCRPO police officers were resolved.

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‘In cahoots’

But by July to December last year, the NCRPO under Nartatez’s helm already resolved 432 cases, of which 224 or 52 percent led to the dismissal of erring police officers.

“We are investigating if there are personnel who are in cahoots with each other or acting in connivance to delay the resolution of these cases. We are being mobbed from the inside by these groups, which cause these delays on missing case folders,” Nartatez said.

He noted how they caught one of their personnel forging the signature of an official to downgrade a dismissal order for an erring police officer to a mere suspension.

The NCRPO committed to “fix” the systems in place to prevent such issues from happening.

“We will see to it that our legal team will review the administrative cases against our personnel. We will also ensure that the summary hearing officer will be present, before it the regional director will decide on the case,” said Brig. Gen. Lex Ephraim Gurat, NCRPO deputy regional director for operations said.

According to data from the Philippine National Police, a total of 3,932 police personnel have been meted with administrative penalties from July 1, 2022, to Jan. 3, 2024, which comprised 1.7 percent of the current 232,000-strong PNP force.

Of these, 985 were dismissed; 230 personnel were also demoted; 1,701 were suspended; 694 got reprimanded; 109 personnel had their privileges withheld; 134 had their salaries forfeited; and 79 were restricted from leaving their police camps.