National Capital Region Police Office Director Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar has sent a clear message to the public that rotten eggs in the police force will not be spared with his decision to sack the head of the Eastern Police District.
Eleazar last week relieved EPD director Brig. Gen. Christopher Tambungan after the latter was caught berating and hitting a policewoman who failed to help him with a task.
“Any unjustified physical assault by any officer of the PNP to anybody, especially to a fellow police officer, is unacceptable and demoralizing,” Eleazar said in an interview.
“An investigation is being conducted. But because of the incriminating evidence, the CCTV footage, I had him relieved administratively, pending the result of our initial investigation. The result of the investigation will be the basis of my recommendation to the PNP chief,” he added.
The EPD chief’s suspension was only the latest in Eleazar’s efforts to clean-up the NCR police force.
He earlier ordered the relief of a Pasig City precinct commander after he discovered that the personnel and people transacting at the precinct were exposed to unsanitary conditions and a dirty workplace.
Eleazar gave the precinct commander a chance to clean up the station but in vain.
“In our campaign against criminality, in our line of work, cleanliness should be part of it,” he said.
“We are all in this together when it comes to internal cleansing—a clean work environment, a clean mind, and a clean and honest service to the public,” he added.
Eleazar is known for his strict enforcement of discipline in the police force.
In March, he fired EPD director Chief Supt. Bernabe Balba and Pasay City police chief Sr. Supt. Noel Flores while their respective anti-drug units were sacked for their involvement in separate extortion cases.
In 2018, Eleazar also relieved 36 members of the Las Piñas police force drug unit for alleged extortion activities. The chief of the station, Sr. Supt. Marlon Balonglong, was also sacked due to command responsibility.
“I plan to strengthen our internal cleansing efforts within the NCRPO,” Eleazar said, adding that crime rate in Metro Manila has decreased by 58 percent.
“We should earn back the trust of our citizens and ensure that they have peace of mind at all times because the PNP is here for them. If we can be that organization that is truly professional, then everything else will follow,” he said.