ILOILO CITY—Four police officers earlier linked by President Duterte to the illegal drug trade have been administratively charged by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) for their poor performance in the government’s antidrug campaign.
Napoleon Arostique, chief of the technical services division of the Napolcom in Western Visayas region, said investigators found probable cause to charge Senior Superintendents Khasmir Disomangcop and Ruperto Floro Jr., Chief Insp. Rio Maymay and Senior Insp. Christopher de Jose.
Disomangcop and Floro are former police chiefs of Iloilo City while Maymay served as police chief of Mandurriao and City Proper Districts in the city. De Jose was previously with the Special Operations Group of the regional police.
De Jose was charged with grave misconduct while Disomangcop, Floro and Maymay are facing charges of incompetence and gross neglect of duty.
They were among the 19 policemen in Western Visayas named by the President as alleged protectors of illegal drug traders.
De Jose was charged after investigators found his properties to be “grossly disproportional” to his salary, Arostique said.
He said in one year alone, De Jose declared an P8-million increase in his assets, which was unexplainable for a police official who earns around P40,000 monthly.
Disomangcop, Floro and Maymay were charged for failing to curb the widespread illegal drug trade under their areas of jurisdiction despite the identification of “high-value” suspects, Arostique said.
“Our theory is that they are involved in illegal drugs as shown by their inaction,” Arostique told the Inquirer.