Southern Police District director Tomas Apolinario on Monday ordered the relief of the entire force of a police community precinct in Pasay City following reports that some of their officers pocketed the money of a theft victim last month.
A total of 31 policemen, including PCP-3 commander Chief Insp. Remedio Terte, were relieved and placed under floating status at the National Capital Region-Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit and SPD headquarters in Taguig City.
Apolinario said the relief of PCP 3, Libertad, Pasay City Police Station and their reassignment at the District Headquarters is a normal process while their case is being investigated. He added this is also one way to pave way to the investigation that the SPD will be conducting.
“We have been receiving reports of irregularities and malpractice being committed by some of our personnel and I do not want that this will further worsen. Hence, I have to nip it in the bud. They must answer for their acts. Should they be found out to be responsible later on, appropriate charges will be lodged against them criminally and administratively,” he said.”©
Terte will be replaced by Chief Insp. Marvin Oloan from the PCP-7.
SPD spokesperson Jenny Tecson said 34 personnel from the SPD Public Safety Batallion will replace the 30 other relieved police personnel.
“The District Director had once again reminded the personnel particularly the PO1s to equip themselves with the knowledge on legalities. He is hopeful that what have had happened in Pasay would be the last incident that SPD will be dragged in,” said Tecson.
Meanwhile, Pasay City police chief Senior Supt. Dionisio Bartolome welcomed the said measures taken by the SPD leadership and said that he will not interfere nor influence whatever result of the investigation.
Bartolome said they are very much willing and are open to any investigation to be conducted.
Apolinario made the relief order upon the instruction of Metro Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde following a complaint lodged by a businessman in Pasay City.
Reports showed that at least two teenagers, accompanied by three men, took a bag containing P1.3 million cash (P300,000, $7,000 and 10,000 euro bills) placed in a bag inside a parked car along Arnaiz Street last Aug. 18. The report said that the policemen were able to recover the money but did not turn it over to its owner.
Three days ago, Albayalde sacked 297 policemen from three precincts in Caloocan City and plans to kick out the entire 1,000-member contingent of the Northern Police District after city cops were implicated in the killing of three minors in August.
The 297 sacked personnel were assigned at Police Community Precinct (PCP) 7, which was home to three of the men tagged in the killing of Grade 11 student Kian delos Santos; PCP-2, where members of the force shot and killed Carl Angelo Arnaiz, 19; and PCP-4, where members forced their way into the house of an old woman.
The relieved cops would undergo retraining and reorientation before being reassigned to other police units, not necessarily in Manila.
Albayalde did not say how long the retraining would last and how long it would take for the entire police force in Caloocan to be replaced.
The NCRPO chief said they strengthened the Internal Cleansing Program, Reward-Punishment Program and Disciplinary Training Program to get rid of erring policemen.
“We also strengthened our public engagement and encourage the public to report their complaints against abusive policemen and we assure that we will investigate immediately and act appropriately on the matter,” he said.
