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BY TIFFANY ANNE TAN
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Thursday, December 15, 2016
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BACOLOD City – Before Christmas Day, three more Negros Island Region police officers allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade will be relieved, Chief Superintendent Renato Gumban said.
Gumban withheld their names but said one is a police commissioned officer while the other two are police noncommissioned officers.
They will all be transferred to the Police Regional Office (PRO) Cordillera, the PRO-18 director disclosed.
The three officers will raise to 31 the number of Negros Island officers relieved over alleged involvement in drugs since the Philippine National Police (PNP) started an intensified antidrug campaign in July.
Twenty-eight have already been sacked. They have been transferred to the PROs in the Cordillera and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Just this November, 21 officers were relieved: seven effective Nov. 16 and 14 effective Nov. 28.
Seven officers were relieved for the same reason effective Oct. 26, including — ironically — one distinguished in drug enforcement.
Superintendent Jacob Crisostomo, San Carlos City police chief, was recently awarded by the Department of the Interior and Local Government for his effective antidrug campaign in Negros Occidental.
Other high-ranking police officers relieved included:
* Chief Inspector Jose Mulleta of the National Police Commission’s regional office
* Superintendent Santiago Rapiz, Police-Community Relations chief of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo)
* Superintendent Rosauro Francisco, deputy Nocppo director for operations
* Superintendent Lino Dalisay, Nocppo Investigation Division chief
* Chief Inspector Rico Santotome of the PRO-18
In several public speeches, Director General Ronald dela Rosa did not mince words in condemning police officers involved in the drug trade.
“You better stop,” the PNP chief said in San Fernando, Pampanga in September. “I will take you personally. I will not forgive you.”
Dela Rosa said he is giving such officers a chance to change their ways. “Every police officer involved in drugs will be dealt with the appropriate punishment.”
Apparently the “appropriate punishment” may include death, as dela Rosa implied in another speech of similar theme in Ilocos Norte in October.
“Kapag meron dito na involved sa ilegal na droga, pepersonalin ko kayo,” he said. “Hindi kayo magtatagal, mamamatay kayo. Mamamatay kayo kapag talagang involved kayo sa droga.”
Officers who do not support the crackdown on drugs should leave the service and “evaporate,” said dela Rosa, also known as “Bato” (Rock).
“If you are with me, tapusin natin itong problema,” he said. “If you are not with me, then you step out. You evaporate! Umalis kayo sa serbisyo!” (With a report from GMA News and ABS-CBN News/PN)
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