PNP reports hike in cases of cops abandoning wives

THE PHILIPPINE National Police has noted an increasing number of complaints against its officers—not from arrested suspects or disgruntled citizens—but from their aggrieved wives.

According to Shella Ujano, acting legal affairs division chief of the PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS), about 30 percent of the cases pending in her unit involve alleged violations of Republic Act 9262 or the Act Defining Violence Against Women and Children.

Ujano clarified that most of the complaints were not necessarily about physical violence but more on the “abandonment” of spouses. It is actually “rare” for a policeman to be accused of assaulting his partner, she added.

Under the 2004 law, the abandonment or withdrawal of financial support can be considered a form of “economic abuse” committed against the wife or children.

“We can’t avoid it sometimes. When couples separate, the tendency is for the wife to file a complaint in the IAS for abandonment of support,” she said when asked to cite the factors behind the mounting complaints.

A violation of RA 9262 is considered by IAS as a case of grave misconduct that can tarnish an officer’s service record. If the IAS finds the officer “guilty,” the maximum penalty is dismissal from the PNP, Ujano said.

To address the problem, “we are working with the PNP on programs [dealing with] behavior, integrity and spiritual development. We don’t tolerate abuses against women,” she added.

On top of the cases stemming from domestic issues, the bulk of administrative complaints handled by the IAS involve allegations of robbery and extortion, illegal discharge of firearms, violation of PNP operational procedures and illegal arrests.

Over the years, the IAS has actually seen a significant drop in number of complaints filed since the office was created in 1999 under the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act.

From a high of 21,000 cases during the early years of IAS, Ujano said that the figure has dropped to 700, adding that “the rest have been resolved and investigations have been conducted.”

The improvement can be attributed to the “zero backlog project” initiated last year by Director Alexander Roldan, the IAS inspector general.

The IAS is tasked to investigate, hear complaints, conduct inspections and audits on PNP personnel and offices. Since its creation, it has suspended 118 police officers, dismissed 38 and demoted 32.

Ujano admitted that a large number of cases filed in her office were eventually dismissed mainly because the complainants themselves failed to attend hearings.