9 cop chiefs hit for reducing crime stats

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has called the attention of nine Metro police officials for “playing doctor.”

Chief Supt. Christopher Laxa, NCRPO deputy director for operations, on Monday said that Metro Manila police director Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo Jr. had asked five city police chiefs and four police station commanders to explain why the crime statistics cited in their reports were lower by 40 percent to 60 percent compared to those submitted by validation teams.

Among the police officials believed to have “underreported crime incidents” were Senior Superintendents Rodolfo Llorca of Pasay City, Florendo Quibuyen of Mandaluyong City, Joselito Daniel of San Juan City,  Arthur Felix Asis of Taguig City and Ariel Andrade of Parañaque City, Supt. Santiago Pascual of the Manila Police District (MPD) Station 4, MPD Station 9 (Malate) commander Supt. Manam Muarip, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 10 (Kamuning) commander Supt. Limuel Obon and QCPD Station 7 (Cubao) Supt. Ramon Pranada.

Show proof or else

“They must show proof why they should not be relieved from their posts and face administrative charges,” Laxa said in a phone interview on Monday.

Police officials in the metropolis were earlier ordered by the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership to submit a report on the crimes reported in the areas under their jurisdiction for the first half of the year. The figures they cited were subsequently verified by the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM).

Laxa, however, clarified that contrary to some news reports, the DIDM has yet to forward its findings to the NCRPO either through a memo or a written report.

According to DIDM staffers at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, their chief Director Don Montenegro has yet to sign and release the official report on the discrepancies found by his validation teams.

The matter, however, was taken up during a meeting between DIDM and NCRPO officials last week, Laxa added.

Garbo, meanwhile, ordered the nine police chiefs concerned to “go back to school,” specifically at Camp Crame, and relearn the operational requirements of managerial positions in the police force, Laxa said.

“Our NCRPO chief has also written to Metro Manila mayors in the areas mentioned by DIDM [where the] crime statistics [were] lower than the actual,” he added.

Laxa assured the public that the NCRPO would never allow police officials to falsify important documents such as crime records.

“By constantly getting the actual and complete picture of the crime situation in an area, our police would know if the deployment of men is just right or if some strategies need to be changed. We know how to respond,” he said.

But at the same time, Laxa noted that it may be possible that the nine police officials did not doctor the crime figures, saying they could have failed to double-check the statistics cited in the reports.

“Some officials could be signing papers without checking if the contents are accurate or not,” he said.

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