The Police Regional Office-Cordillera has accepted the challenge posted by Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos for officials of the Philippine National Police to file courtesy resignation to cleanse the organization from officers involved in the illegal drug trade.
PRO-Cor Director B/Gen. Mafelino Bazar said the 16 colonels and two generals of the regional command have unanimously accepted the challenge and are currently drafting their courtesy resignation letters.
“The morale of the PRO-Cor personnel is still high,” Bazar said.
The call for mass courtesy resignation is a “bold move”, as Abalos said there is nothing to worry about if the police officers are not involved in the illegal drug trade.
The erring police officers, who Abalos referred to as “ninja cops”, would still be given due process and would undergo the usual process for those cops found to have involvement in the illegal drug trade.
Such challenge was also called in 1992 under then President Fidel V. Ramos but over a different issue.
Meanwhile, Abalos has named Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong as one of the five members of the committee that will review the courtesy resignations of the PNP officers.
Abalos cited Magalong’s integrity as the reason for being chosen as one of the reviewers. He said only Magalong has allowed his name to be revealed to the public while the other members were not revealed for security reasons.
Magalong is a retired three-star police general, who once served as chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and served as the deputy director for Operations. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 26, 2024
