IN line with their strict internal cleansing program, Philippine National Police Officer-in-Charge (PNP OIC), Lieutenant General Vicente D. Danao Jr. yesterday said 5,652 erring police personnel have been fired from the force and stripped of their benefits since July 2016.

“This is part of our continuing programs to reform the organization and make it more transparent, accountable and credible,” the top cop said while noting that some of the dismissed police personnel were jailed after being found to have committed grave irregularities in the performance of their duties specifically in the conduct of anti-illegal drug operations.

Lt. Gen. Danao said the 5,652 fired cops were among those slapped with criminal and administrative charges from July 2016 to last May 4.

Citing a report from the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records, the PNP-OIC disclosed that out of the 21,306 PNP personnel investigated during the period, 5,652 were dismissed from the service; 1,150 were demoted; 10,650 were suspended; 853 were sanctioned with salary forfeiture; 2,491 were reprimanded;, 222 were restricted to quarters and 288 had their privileges withheld.

Danao said that of the 5,652 dismissed cops, 716 were found guilty of involvement in illegal drug activities or substance abuse.

He added that 504 of them which include 10 Police Commissioned Officers, 479 Police Non-Commissioned Officers and 15 Non-Uniformed Personnel were dismissed from the police force after they were found positive for use of either shabu or marijuana during the conduct of surprise or random drug testing.

Another 183 which include 11 PCOs, 171 PNCOs and one NUP were axed from the PNP after they were found to be involved in drug-related cases from July 216 to last November 13.

Another 23 PNCOs were also fired from the service for substance abuse and six for involvement in illegal drug activities from November 13, 2021 to last May 4.

“The PNP does not condone any member of the police organization who violates the law and gets involved in illegal activities. Nonetheless, all those involved were sanctioned accordingly following the time honored principle of the constitutional right to due process,” Lt. Gen. Danao said.

“Ito ay nagpapatunay din na seryoso ang liderato ng PNP na itama ang lahat ng kamalian at parusahan ang dapat parusahan sa aming hanay dahil sa bandang huli, hindi lang ang PNP ang makikinabang dito kung hindi ang mamamayang Pilipino na aming pinagsisilbihan at pinoprotektahan,” he added.

According to the top cop, the sheer big number of rogues in uniform who were fired from the service since the start of the Duterte administration is proof enough that claims from some government critics about the lax internal cleansing program of the police force has no basis at all.

Lt. Gen. Danao said that if the government critics are to be believed, how come that more than 5,600 erring police personnel have been dismissed from the PNP since the start of the Duterte administration.

He explained that the big number of rogues in the police service who have been dismissed and the high morale of their personnel means that their disciplinary mechanisms are working.

“Yung gumagawa ng mali, how big is their percentage? Pero pag mali, kinokorek natin agad. Walang puwang sa aming organisasyon ang mga tiwali,” he said.

The PNP Internal Affairs Service has taken an aggressive stance in handling and investigating police personnel who were meted with administrative charges amid their crackdown against corruption.

Apart from dismissal from service, several penalties were imposed on police personnel who were charged for less serious offenses.

PNP data from July 2016-March 2022 showed that 1,129 were demoted, 10,490 were suspended, 848 faced forfeiture of salary, 2,475 were reprimanded, 208 were restricted and 286 others had their privileges withheld.

These numbers of penalized personnel reflect the PNP’s commitment to cleanse its ranks in order to carry out their mandate in protecting the community, the PNP-OIC said.

He explained that the PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group is working fully with the PNP-IAS in carrying out their internal cleansing program.

IMEG’s functions include the following: receive complaints and information against erring personnel and conduct relevant information gathering activities, detect and conduct intelligence build-up on the involvement of PNP personnel in illegal activities, acts of graft and corruption and other crimes for the conduct of prompt counter measures; and initiate law enforcement operations against rogue PNP personnel.

The Department of Justice, through the National Bureau of Investigation, is currently carrying out its independent investigation on cases of anti-drug operations which resulted to deaths with the PNP giving its full cooperation on the matter.

“With this conscious effort of the PNP, PNP IAS and PNP IMEG to thwart corruption within the organization, the PNP wishes to oppose the statement from recent report of the United States Department of State’s latest annual country reports on human rights stating that IAS remained largely ineffective,” said PNP Public Information Office chief, Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus B. Alba.

“Although we are not completely disregarding this report, the PNP would like to respond to it with all the significant accomplishments of IAS, as mentioned above. It will be unfair for the PNP to be regarded as an organization that tolerates impunity and human rights abuses” he said.

“The PNP will always stand for what is right, just and fair. Although it’s going to be an uphill battle for the PNP, we will be enforcing the law without fear nor favor. We will continuously improve our system and organization in order to protect and serve the Filipino community,” Brig. Gen. Alba added.

The PNP-OIC has also maintained that their end-game strategy in the war on drugs will not only help treat and reform illegal substance victims but also prevent rogues in uniform from committing abuses, even to the extent of killing people in the guise of performing their duties.