Manila to purge cops who are ‘lulubog-lilitaw’

Under a new leadership, the Manila Police District (MPD) is set to conduct a personnel audit to flush out “ghost employees” and “undesirables.”

MPD Directorial Staff head Senior Supt. Gilbert Cruz said the initiative particularly aims to purge policemen who are “lulubog-lilitaw” (Now you see them, now you don’t), as ordered by the new district director Chief Supt. Isagani Genabe Jr. and in line with the peace and order campaign of Mayor Joseph Estrada.

“We want to account for our people because there are policemen these days who simply hang out in casinos or moonlight as security escorts to VIPs. We want to correct that,” Cruz said in a recent interview.

He said these policemen would be visible in their assigned areas only during paydays, or on the 15th and 30th of the month. “We will not only flush out these ‘15-30’ policemen, we also want to ensure that our officers are physically fit and up to the job.”

As a first step, all policemen assigned in Manila will be required to update their personal data sheet (PDS).

“In the PDS, they are now required to include cases filed against them. It’s just like a checklist—which court and what are the accusations—for a better assessment,” he said.

Penalties await those caught withholding information. “We have to ensure full disclosure because these are information policemen want hidden,” he added.

He recalled cases wherein rogue or truant policemen had remained in the service and even got promoted because of nondisclosure and “lack of records.”

New requirements

One of the new requirements for the PDS is “a recent, full-body photo”—to help check on the officer’s physical fitness—and not just the usual ID shot.

“The photo will show us if they still have both feet or if they have grown beer bellies,” Cruz said, adding that medical checkups are forthcoming.

The new system will also check if the MPD members are using a valid driver’s license, and dig deep enough to see if they have “pawned” or lent their firearms and badges to people engaged in criminal activities.

The directive applies to 2,625 policemen reporting to the MPD and should not be taken as a form of reprisal from Estrada, whose camp often complained of harassment from the Manila police during his campaign against reelectionist Mayor Alfredo Lim, a former MPD chief, Cruz said.

“No politics involved here,” he said. “We need police officers who are doing their jobs and are dedicated. We have to let go of undesirables.”