ARMM police chief: We’ll retrain, transform bad cops

ARMM regional police head Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac. NOY MORCOSO lll/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

People concerned about unscrupulous cops being sent to Mindanao have nothing to worry because these policemen will eventually be “reoriented, retrained, reformed and transformed,” assured the chief of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) regional police.

ARMM regional police head Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac said a total of 151 “scalawags in uniform” have been reassigned to his area as the Philippine National Police (PNP) started cleansing its ranks following the killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo.

In a press statement, Sindac addressed concerns raised by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman about the PNP transferring undisciplined cops, including those involved in illegal drug activities, to Mindanao.

READ: Pimentel to PNP: Don’t send erring cops to Mindanao as punishment

Sindac said that these personnel will be “limited to administrative functions where they were closely monitored and accounted for.”

He said their reassignment to ARMM, which is composed of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces, will “prevent them from going back to their old ways and would also deny them from furthering their connections to illegal crime syndicates.”

“This transfer of personnel is also happening in other region. As a matter of fact, ‘narco cops’ from Mindanao were likewise reassigned to other regions in Luzon for the same reasons,” he said.

“In this process, the personnel will eventually be reoriented, retrained, reformed and transformed,” Sindac added.

The regional director also pointed out that the 151 bad cops assigned to ARMM are merely 2.2% out of the 6,727 total strength of dedicated police officers there doing operational and sensitive peacekeeping functions.

“This approach will give them another chance that will either redeem or end their careers in this region,” he said.

In an earlier interview, PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said sending rogue cops to far-flung areas is one way of disrupting their illegal operations, although he said only 2 percent of the 165,000-strong police force are engaging in nefarious activities./rga