Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
The chief of the Metro Manila police has dismissed 19 more “bad eggs” from the service, bringing to 58 the number of police personnel removed for incompetence or wrongdoing since he took over in September.
In orders signed on Wednesday, National Capital Region Police Office director Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina also demoted five officers and suspended 20 others for 40 to 60 days.
The latest purge came exactly two months after Espina assumed the NCRPO post and vowed to enforce a policy requiring complaints of grave misconduct against erring police officers to be resolved within 30 days.
Espina then took over the command just days after his own son got a taste of police shenanigans.
A Quezon City policeman accosted and almost succeeded in extorting money from the younger Espina. The scheme was only foiled when the latter managed to call his father on his cell phone as he was about to go to an ATM to withdraw the cash demanded by the officer.
In a statement on Wednesday, Espina said officers with proven involvement in illegal activities have no right to remain in the force. “This is one of the directives we are pushing in the NCRPO for a police service that is clean, trustworthy and reliable,” he said in Filipino.
The latest officers ordered dismissed were cited for various complaints and infractions, ranging from simple cases like losing a government-issued handheld radio and going absent without leave, to more grave offenses like robbery, serious physical injuries, frustrated homicide and even murder.
Dismissed on Wednesday from the Southern Police District were Police Officer 3 Ricardo N. Ailes, PO1 Herminigildo Gajeto, SPO1 Cirilio C. Zamora, PO1 Norlito Daguman, Chief Inspector Reynante G. Ibon, PO1 Bernandino Meneses and PO1 Eric Raz Nicodemus;
From the Manila Police District: PO2 Rolando R. Manipolo, PO1 Roberto Cruz, PO1 Vincent Paul Medina, PO1 Sieroma F. Prudente and PO1 Julius B. Enderio;
From the Quezon City Police District: PO1 Robert Ryan R. Noe, SPO1 Agustin Villanueva and PO3 Reynaldo N. Angeles;
From the Eastern Police District: SPO1 Froilan Pontivedra and PO1 Abdulah M. Ontuwa;
From the Northern Police District: PO3 Pacholo R. Nang;
From the Regional Police Headquarters Auxiliary Unit: PO3 Gerardo R. Javier.
The five demoted officers were cited for offenses like neglect of duty, slander, acts of lasciviousness and abuse of authority.