ALL indications show that the powerful National Police Commission (Napolcom) chaired by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ C. Abalos Jr. would still have the final say on the fate of Philippine National Police (PNP0 3rd-Level Officials who will be recommended for expulsion from the service by a 5-Man Committee.

This after Sec. Abalos revealed that the Napolcom will have to review the cases of officials whose resignation will be accepted by the 5-Man Committee or simply put, the body will have the final say on whether to fire and file appropriate criminal charges or retain a particular official once there is already a recommendation.

The Napolcom as a collegial body is chaired by the DILG secretary with the PNP chief as its Ex-Officio Member. All its four present Commissioners were appointed to their post by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte in March 2022 replacing the former set of Commissioners whose six-year terms of offices ended on March 7, 2022.

They include Napolcom vice-chairperson and executive officer, Attorney Alberto A. Bernardo and Commissioners Ricardo P. Bernabe III, Beatrice Aurora A. Vega-Cancio and Edilberto DC Leonardo, a former Davao City police official who resigned from the police force with the rank of Colonel.

Leonardo was an erstwhile regional officer of the Regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Field Unit 11 based in Southern Mindanao who was eventually appointed by PRRD as an Undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources before being picked by the latter as a Napolcom commissioner on March 4 last year.

The law says that the four regular and full-time Napolcom commissioners shall be appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the DILG secretary, in their case then DILG chief Eduardo M. Año. Of the first four commissioners to be appointed, two shall serve for six years and the two others for four years without re-appointment or extension.

Although Sec. Abalos, a lawyer himself had said that none of the 3rd-Level Officers who will be found involved in illegal drug activities by the 5-Man Committee will be named in public and that they will be allowed to leave public service quietly, there have been calls for the Napolcom to ensure fairness and objectivity on the matter too.

The same was also demanded by the PNP leadership on the 5-Man Committee knowing fully well that the career of innocent officers who have worked with dedication to the country and the service over the past 30 years or more are in stake.

However, Sec. Abalos has assured that they are listening to the sentiments of the police officials and said there is no need to publicize the names of any of them whose courtesy resignations would be accepted by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. upon the recommendation of the 5-Man Committee and the Napolcom.

“This is a radical move. Like what I have said, extraordinary times call for radical and bold actions. This is out of the box. In the same token, let’s say if you receive a resignation, let them retire silently,” said the DILG chief who has gotten the support of many Filipinos in his effort to rid the force of its personnel who have links to illegal drugs.

“Now, if we have enough evidence that would build up criminal cases, pursue them in court as mandated by law. If noy, if you do not have that strong evidence but it was seen that they had involvement, let them retire peacefully,” Sec. Abalos added.

Under Republic Act 6975, the Napolcom has the power to monitor and investigate police anomalies and irregularities and perform such other functions necessary to carry out the provisions of the said law as amended, other existing laws and presidential issuances and as the President may direct.

It is the agency mandated by the Constitution and the major police reform laws, Republic Act Nos. 6975 and 8551 to administer and control the PNP. Under RA 8551 otherwise known as the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998, the Commission regained the powers to investigate police anomalies and irregularities and to administer police entrance examinations and is granted summary dismissal powers over erring policemen.

The Napolcom has the power to ‘affirm, reverse or modify, through the National Appelate Board, personnel administrative actions involving the demotion or dismissal from the service imposed upon members of the PNP by the PNP chief. It also exercises appellate jurisdiction through the Regional Appelate Boards, over administrative cases against policemen and over decisions on claims for police benefits.

Having been given the power by the law to exercise administrative control and operational supervision over the PNP, officials however are calling on the present Napolcom leadership to do something about concerns they have previously raised in the past.

Prior to the entry of the Marcos administration, there have been many complaints regarding the presence of rogues in police uniform who were ordered reinstated into the service by the Napolcom for reasons known only to officials of the body who signed the reinstatement papers of the accused.

In January 2018, then PNP chief, now Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa asked then Napolcom vice chairman and executive officer Rogelio P. Casurao what was the status of some 67 police officers ordered dismissed by then President Duterte for their purported involvement in drugs and other illegal activities.

Dela Rosa said he had asked Atty. Casurao on the status of the cases of the 67 policemen since PRRD had publicly announced he will dismiss them. However, Casurao, who passed away at the age of 66 in January 2021 maintained they wanted to fully observe due process to prevent the return of the dismissed cops due to technicality.

Highly-popular and well-loved by PNP officers and men in his time, Atty. Casurao had said before that two of the 67 are full-fledged colonels, three are Lieutenant Colonels, one is a Major, two are Captains, one is a Lieutenant and the rest are Police Non-Commissioned Officers.

On Friday last week, Gen. Azurin called on all his 3rd Level Officers to be with him in his desire to cleanse the 227,000-strong organization of misfits and scalawags specifically those involved in illegal drugs while going all-out to keep peace and order in the country thru their stepped-up war on all forms of criminality and terror.

Sec. Abalos on the same day announced that around 95 percent of the 954 star-rank officers and full-fledged colonels in the police force have already filed their courtesy resignation to PBBM following his and Gen. Azurin’s appeal.