Albayalde: ‘My children are suffering, bleeding’

SILANG, Cavite, Philippines — As controversy hounds him weeks before he officially hangs his police uniform, a visibly teary-eyed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde admitted on Friday that the controversy has left his children “suffering” and “bleeding.”

In an interview with reporters, Albayalde stressed that his family is most affected by his being linked to the controversial anti-drug operation in Pampanga in 2013, when he served as the provincial police director.

“When you hit the father, as I have said pag ang tinira mo ay ‘yung magulang [if you attack the parent], the children will suffer, the children will bleed,” he said.

“Right now my children are suffering, bleeding. Talagang they [They really] could not understand, especially my youngest. Parang ang sabi niya [She was saying], ‘Why is it as if it’s daddy against the world?’” he added.

Albayalde then narrated how the issue has been hurting his daughter, the youngest of his children who is now  in high school.

“Masakit sa kanya, kasi umiiyak eh [It is painful for her and she is crying],” he said, adding he could not properly explain the situation to his daughter given her age.

“They cannot avoid to watch the news and they will hear so much bad comments as if parang napakasama mong tao [as if you are a really bad person]. They know for a fact that I worked hard. Talagang binigay ko lahat lahat dito [I really gave my all here], especially sa war on drugs and cleaning our ranks,” he said.

Albayalde is set to retire as head of the national police on November 8 but the change-of-command ceremony for the incoming PNP chief will be held on October 29.

Albayalde said the date was scheduled earlier since President Rodrigo Duterte, who will lead the ceremony, is set to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Bangkok, Thailand from October 31 to November 4.  /muf