PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief, General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar said he is fully confident that all his 17 Police Regional Office directors and the PNP Internal Affairs Service will be effectively doing their job to impose discipline and even dismiss rogues in their units.

“We saw the wisdom of that policy in which our RDs are the ones pursuing the administrative cases against misfits and scalawags in their areas. In fact, it greatly helped us in our campaign against the very few scalawags in the force,” said Gen. Eleazar in referring to the policy implemented by his predecessor and classmate from Philippine Military Academy ‘Hinirang’ Class of 1987, now retired Gen. Debold M. Sinas.

According to the 26th PNP chief, he is also getting full support from the PNP -IAS in their internal cleansing program. “Pag me pulis na involved sa obvious na kalokohan at me ebidensiya, tiyak na madi-dismiss mga yan,” he said.

He added that the PNP-IAS will really play a big role in their punitive and reformative program. “Sabi ng ni Presidente Duterte, lahat ng me offense tanggalin na natin pero me due process pa din tayo and we have to do this, kas inga, naaapektuhan ang buong organization ng presence of a few rotten eggs,” the PNP chief said.

Besides, he expressed confidence that everybody will toe the line if they see that the PNP leadership is dead serious in effecting reforms in the organization. “Magda-dalawang isip ang general, ang maliit na commander pag alam nila na hindi sila kukusnsitihin,” he said.

However, the top cop who had warned rogues in uniform that ‘you will hate me’ said that the public must keep in their mind that as always, policemen undergoing criminal and administrative investigation are also being afforded ‘due process.’

“Ang pakiusap ko lang po sa mga ating mamamayan ay dapat nilang isipin na me due process po sa aming organisasyon. Kasi me mga tao na nag-iisip na tinanggal lang sa puwesto ang isang pulis na sangkot sa irregularidad pero ang totoo po ay may period na sinusunod para sila maimbestigahan. Kasama po ito sa tinatawag nating due process,” Gen. Eleazar said.

The PNP chief said the PNP-IAS already has a system when it comes to dismissing rogues in uniform after they are given their day in court. “Pinapabilis natin ang resolution katulad nung kay Nuezca, gagawin natin yan pero papaano yung iba,” he said.

Last January, Gen. Sinas ordered the dismissal of Staff Sergeant Jonel Nuezca, the Parañaque City policeman who was caught on video killing a mother and her son in Paniqui, Tarlac on December 20, 2020.

The PNP-IAS recommended the dismissal of Nuezca after it found the latter guilty of grave misconduct and conduct unbecoming of a police officer.

“Taking into consideration all the pieces of evidence submitted by the parties and the admission of the respondent, he seriously compromised his character and standing in the Philippine National Police, which shows his unworthiness to remain in the police service,” the PNP-IAS said.

Nuezca was charged with two counts of murder in the aftermath of the viral video of the shooting incident.

Last year, the PNP leadership earlier ordered all 17 police regional directors to handle the immediate dismissal of any of their men who will test positive for substance abuse amid complaints that the PNP-IAS is taking too long to resolve the cases of identified drug users in the police force.

Sinas said he wanted to fully empower their RDs in firing erring policemen under their command upon observance of due process to prevent the possibility that mere technicality in the dismissal of these rogues in uniform will enable them to return to the force in the future,

Officials noted that since President Duterte ordered his vaunted war on drugs in July 2016 to date, more than 430 policemen have tested positive for drugs. To date, about 382 have been dismissed from the police force while there are 39 cases still to be resolved.

There is an existing policy to release the report on the drug-using policemen, majority of them male non-commissioned officers found to be using shabu. The PNP leadership also ordered the continuing random drug testing of the police force and to immediately dismiss those who test positive for shabu or marijuana.

Gen. Eleazar said he wants the PNP-IAS to fully coordinate with PNP Regional Directors their investigation of drug-using policemen and other rogues in the service.

Republic Act 8551 or the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act which was enacted in February 1998 created the PNP-IAS whose functions include the conduct of summary hearings on PNP members facing administrative charges.

It was also tasked to conduct a ‘motu proprio’ or automatic investigation of the following cases: incidents where a police personnel discharges a firearm; incidents where death, serious physical injury or any violation of human rights occurred in the conduct of police operation; incidents where evidence was compromised, tampered with, obliterated or lost while in the custody of police personnel; incidents where a suspect in the custody of the police was seriously injured; and incidents where the established rules of engagement have been violated.

Under Section 48 of RA 8551, the PNP-IAS was also authorized to automatically include in its investigation of administrative cases the immediate superior or supervisor of the personnel or units being investigated to exclusively determine lapses in administration or supervision.

The law says that any PNP personnel found guilty of any of the cases mentioned in ‘motu-proprio’ investigation and their immediate superior or supervisor found negligent for their act shall be recommended automatically for dismissal or demotion as the case may be.

The PNP said that in 2020, 46 policemen out of the 173,133 PNP personnel subjected to drug testing were found positive for substance abuse. The official said seven of the 46 tested positive for shabu last November and December.

In 2019, a total of 36 out of the 80,278 policemen tested for drugs were found to be positive for shabu. In 2018, a total of 68 policemen out of the 92,598 PNP personnel subjected to random or mandatory drug testing were found positive for substance abuse.

In 2017, a total of 82 policemen out of the 16,297 personnel tested were found to be positive drug users while in 2016, a total of 206 out of the 164,981 policemen subjected to a drug test were found positive for prohibited substance.