THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has forged an agreement entered with a financial institution to provide legal assistance to police personnel facing charges from January 2017 to December 2022.
In a press briefing on Thursday, PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen Jean Fajardo said the unnamed financial institution had an agreement with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) that it would provide legal assistance to police officers with criminal charges filed against them during the Duterte administration.
The PNP Legal Service also assists policemen, Fajardo said, adding that the number of cases handled by the unit from January 2017 to December 2022 has reached 1,214, while the number of PNP personnel it represented in various legal forums I totalled 4,033.
“This is more than 4,000 police officers who have faced cases and were represented by the Legal Service. The PNP has an allocated legal assistance fund, but again, as we’ve said, we welcome this development. We have a MOA (memorandum of agreement) between the PNP and a financial institution that started this year, and the legal assistance was signed,” Fajardo said.
She said that under the accord, once a police officer facing charges signifies an intention to avail of legal aid, the IBP would extend the necessary assistance.
Fajardo also said they welcome former President Rodrigo Duterte’s pledge to raise P1 million to assist policemen charged over their involvement in drug-related operations.
“We would like to extend our appreciation to the former President for initiating it. This is a welcome development,” she said.
Fajardo added that it would be a big help, citing earlier statements of PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil that 214 officers were facing 352 criminal cases from July 2016 to June 2022.
She also said that 1,286 policemen were affected over the period, with 312 losing their lives and 974 getting injured.
“During the previous administration, particularly from 2016 to 2022, many police officers faced legal challenges. Many were charged, some of them were dismissed, some were convicted and eventually incarcerated in our detention facilities. That is the current direction of our PNP chief – to provide legal assistance to our police personnel,” Fajardo said.
Marbil earlier said 195 police officers were administratively dismissed over the six-year period, while 398 faced dismissal for various reasons.
More than 20 of them are currently in detention.
