A TOTAL of 217 senior Philippine National Police (PNP) officials has been evaluated so far by the 5-Man Advisory Group created by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. (PBBM) to go after 3rd-level PNP officers with alleged drug links.

According to the spokesperson of the group, Colonel Redrico A. Maranan, the group resumed their conduct of formal meetings relative to the evaluation process of senior PNP officers on Wednesday morning at Camp Crame.

Present during the meeting were all members of the advisory group composed of PNP Chief General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr., retired General-turned Baguio City Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, former Defense Secretary Gilbert C. Teodoro, and retired General-turned-Presidential Adviser on Police Affairs Undersecretary Isagani R. Nerez, and retired Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Melchor Q. Sadang were present in the meeting held at Camp Crame.

According to Maranan, also the chief of the PNP Public Information Office (PIO), the advisory group started the second meeting with the recap of their February 24 session wherein 118 senior police officials were subjected to a thorough assessment.

“As for today, the 5-man advisory group processed 217 senior police officers after thorough evaluation while the remaining more than 600 are set to be evaluated in the coming weeks either in person or thru video conferencing,” he explained.

“In effect, the senior officers’ courtesy resignation will be recommended not be accepted if found, after evaluation, that there is no record or no information that they have involvement in illegal drugs and that they are suitable to continue their police service,” the official added.

Maranan said that the senior officers who have been found to have “derogatory information” will be subjected to the next layer of scrutiny by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) chaired by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” C. Abalos Jr. and will then be submitted to further validation and investigation.

He likewise said that the 5-man advisory group targets to finish the screening as soon as possible.

“However, assessment must be done expeditiously, always taking into consideration the objectivity, fairness and due diligence in the conduct of its proceedings,” Maranan said.

“Rest assured that the advisory group will be keen on the assessment of all reports against these senior officers and at the same time will be fair, objective and judicious in every step of the process to realize the very purpose of this noble endeavor,” he added.

The President earlier rejected the courtesy resignation of Azurin, the 28th PNP chief and the first to be designated as the country’s top cop by PBBM in August last year and appointed him to the 5-Man committee since the latter know who really should be in, who should be out in the organization.

“When the President said that I would be part of the advisory group, practically he cleared me kasi definitely hindi ako magiging part kung hindi ako cleared,” Azurin said.

According to the official, part of their discussion before he met the press is “how we intend to finish the job in less than three months, dapat kasi mas mabilis.”

All four other members of the Advisory Group have been provided with data regarding those who filed their courtesy resignations following an appeal from Abalos.

Azurin said that the data provided to the group are not only those coming from intelligence agencies but also cases filed against the officers when they were operating in the war on drugs, specifically during the previous Duterte administration.

“We would like to know kung ano na status nung mga cases filed against them previously. Will they stand in court, or were they dismissed because of mere technicalities and why?” he said.

The PNP chief, however, said that they are looking purely at the involvement of officers in illegal drug activities, whether directly or indirectly, and would leave it to the rest of the group if there is a need to subject anybody to a “lifestyle check.”

All members of the group are known for their “impeccable character” and “untarnished integrity.”

Azurin is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1989, while Magalong is from PMA Class of 1982.

Nerez, a lawyer who used to be a Cordillera Police Regional Office director like Magalong, belongs to PMA Class of 1984.

The DILG chief described the courtesy resignations of the senior PNP officials as a radical move aimed at thoroughly cleansing the police force of officials with links to illegal drug activities.

“I am definite that this advisory group shall remain apolitical throughout the process of screening and, in the end, penalize only those guilty and involved in the illegal drug trade,” he underscored.

The DILG chief said that while 12 of the 955 PNP generals and colonels did not file their courtesy resignations, technically, only one top-ranking police officer did not heed his call ahead of the January 31 deadline.