MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) has sanctioned 2,719 personnel for administrative violations during the first eight months of the year, including 713 who were dismissed from the service.
Of the total, 1,324 were suspended, 112 demoted, 437 reprimanded, 59 penalized with salary forfeiture, 22 placed under restriction, and 52 stripped of certain privileges, according to data released Saturday.
“We have rules and standards for a reason, and we must apply them fairly and consistently,” PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement.
Nartatez said the sanctions reflect the organization’s commitment to discipline, integrity and accountability under its Focused Agenda, particularly its Integrity Monitoring initiative and its zero-tolerance policy for administrative violations.
In a related development, Nartatez ordered an impartial investigation into an alleged “hulidap” (robbery-kidnapping extortion) incident involving police officers in Taguig City.
Five personnel from the Taguig City Police Substation 9 in New Lower Bicutan have been relieved, including the substation commander to help ensure an impartial investigation.
A viral video showed a 24-year-old man who claimed he was accosted and handcuffed on Oct. 6 by men who identified themselves as police officers.
The man’s family said the officers accused him of belonging to a robbery group and tried to force him to go with them. He resisted and called for help, prompting nearby residents to intervene.
The officers reportedly said they had responded to a complaint about an individual allegedly using marijuana in Barangay Lower Bicutan. They claimed they left after residents mobbed them during the attempted arrest.
Nartatez directed the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and Taguig City Police to establish the facts and determine whether the personnel violated police procedures or abused their authority.
NCRPO Officer-in-Charge PBrig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano likewise directed Taguig police to conduct a thorough investigation and pursue administrative or criminal complaints, if warranted.
