POLICE Chief Ronald dela Rosa has signed an order dismissing 99 policemen after they were found guilty of using illegal drugs, an official said Friday.
“Our recommendation to dismiss the 99 policemen has already been signed by PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa,” said Alfegar Triambulo, inspector general of the PNP Internal Affairs Service.
He did not provide details including the ranks of the dismissed policemen, but he said they would be transmitting another recommendation to dismiss 40 more policemen who were also found guilty of using illegal drugs.
The 99 policemen were part of the 198 PNP personnel who were found positive for illegal drugs use during a random drug testing nationwide.
Of those, the highest ranking officer was a chief inspector and the lowest a Police Officer 1.
Triambulo said the policemen’s dismissal was based on Civil Service Commission rules.
“According to the CSC and Napolcom [National Police Commission], the use of drugs is penalized by dismissal because it is a grave offense,” he said.
In July 1 last year, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Dela Rosa to conduct a random drug testing of the 165,000-strong police force.
Duterte even accused as narco generals retired Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo, former Chief Supt. and now Daanbantayan, Cebu Mayor Vicente Loot; former NCRPO chief Director Joel Pagdilao, former QCPD director Chief Supt. Edgardo Tino, and former Western Visayas police director Chief Supt. Bernardo Diaz.
But all of them denied involvement in illegal drugs.
