Poe on Marquez: This is what we need for a PNP chief

PNP Chief Police Director Ricardo Marquez. INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON

Sen. Grace Poe has nothing but kind words for newly appointed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ricardo Marquez.

During the Senate hearing on PNP modernization and reorganization on Thursday, Poe lauded Marquez’s appointment as head of the 150,000-strong police force, saying that it would be the first step to restore the “trust and confidence accorded to the PNP, and its integrity in the eyes of the public.”

“It’s very refreshing to hear your plans for PNP. This is exactly what we need for a PNP chief. To have a vision for this institution,” said Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public order.

Marquez, together with other police officers, appeared before the Senate on Thursday and discussed his plans, proposals, and requests to beef up PNP’s equipment for a more efficient service.

READ: PNP eyes to beef up equipment, restore integrity

But despite a change in leadership, Poe said the police force is still being haunted by a number of controversies involving its own men.

“Sa kabila ng pagkakasuspinde at pagbaba sa pwesto ng dating PNP chief at sa pagkakaluklok ni General Leonardo Espina bilang officer-in-charge ng PNP hanggang sa pagkakatalaga kay Dir. Gen. Marquez, may mga kontrobersiya pa ring kinakasangkutan ang mga pulis,” Poe said.

“The wrongdoing, misdeeds, irregularities of the past leadership will never be gone and forgotten, and we will follow up the ongoing investigation on such cases,” she added.

Noting that modernization should not end with advancement of facilities, Poe said the new leadership must focus on gaining back public trust by looking at the “dignity and personhood of the personnel wearing uniforms.”

Poe has been a vocal critic of dismissed PNP chief Alan Purisima, who resigned from office at the height of the botched Mamasapano operation that killed 44 elite police commandos of the Special Action Force.

The lady senator, who led the Senate inquiry on the Mamasapano incident, previously said Purisima’s testimonies regarding the failed police operation were “unbelievable.” She had also urged the PNP leadership to fast-track the investigations on administrative cases against the ousted police chief.

Purisima, who was suspended by the Ombudsman in December 2014, has been formally dismissed last June over a shady 2011 deal with courier service Werfast Documentation Agency. He is also facing criminal and administrative charges over the controversial P25-million construction of the “white house” in Camp Crame, the PNP chief’s official residence.

“Ang pagbabago ng liderato ng pulisya ay hindi nangangahulugang hihinto tayo sa pagreporma ng PNP at kakalimutan natin ang ating mga obligasyon,” Poe added. JE