Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil on Thursday said cops involved in illegal activities will not be allowed to return to the service.
In an interview, Marbil said he is not content with mere suspension or demotion for erring officers.
“We make sure that police involved [in illegal activities] can no longer return to the service and are instead incarcerated. That is what we want,” Marbil said.
Recent incidents involved a police colonel who was arrested for car theft in Parañaque City, and four police officers arrested for the abduction of four foreigners in Pasay City.
“We put accountability on the commanders. If police officers are found to be involved in illegal activities, their commanders will also be held responsible, just like what we did in the SAF,” Marbil said.
Marbil was referring to the case of two SAF commandos from Mindanao who were arrested in the Ayala-Alabang Village on May 18.
Aside from the two, seven other officers, including their battalion commander, company commander, and platoon leader, are facing administrative cases and have been placed under restrictive custody.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., for his part, said there is a need to focus on the reward and punishment as part of efforts to professionalize the organization.
“As commanders, we are responsible for the accomplishments and failures of a unit. We are responsible for what they do and what they fail to do,” he said.
He noted that more than 500 Metro Manila policemen had been dismissed from the service, while at least 800 more had been punished since July last year as part of the NCRPO’s internal cleansing efforts.
Nartatez said he has already ordered the speedy review of more than 4,000 documents on the administrative cases of other policemen to resolve all pending cases within two to three months.
