MANILA, Philippines — Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Sen. Richard Gordon on Friday said former Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde and the 13 alleged “ninja cops” could be charged with malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance over the controversy.
Gordon presented the 46-page draft report on the Senate blue ribbon committee's investigation into police anomalies involving Albayalde, who resigned as PNP chief on Monday. It will be forwarded to the Department of Justice and the ombudsman.
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Former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief and now Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said Albayalde, then Pampanga police chief, intervened in the dismissal of 13 police officers accused of recycling around 162 kilos of shabu seized in a 2013 raid.
“Tanggal dapat kaagad ‘yan, not one minute longer. What happened? Hindi,” Gordon said.
(The 13 police officers accused of recycling drugs should have been dismissed on the spot, not one minute longer. What happened? Nothing.)
Malacañang earlier this week said it would take the blue ribbon committee's investigation and recommendation on the ninja cops and Good Conduct Time Allowance law issues into consideration.
“[T]he president is the number one enforcer of the law, so if there is evidence against any wrongdoing, then it behooves the government to file and prosecute,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.
Make IAS ‘independent’ from PNP
Gordon said the Internal Affairs Service should be independent of the PNP and Department of the Interior and Local Government.
The IAS “[conducts] inspection and audits on PNP personnel and units, investigates complaints, and gathers evidence in support of an open investigation, conduct summary hearings on PNP members facing administrative charges, file criminal cases against PNP members before the court and help in the prosecution of the case, and assist the Office of the Ombudsman in cases involving PNP personnel,” according to the PCIJ Guide to Government.
IAS Inspector General Alfegar Triambulo is lobbying Congress to amend Republic Act 8551 — the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act — to make IAS an independent body.
Question of loyalty
Gordon said Albayalde should have considered his loyalty to the country “above all” before considering his own policemen.
“You dropped the ball big time,” Gordon said, referring to Albayalde.
Albayalde’s resignation came two weeks before he formally turns over the PNP leadership. He will reach the mandatory police retirement age of 56 on November 8.
“My last command as your chief PNP is for you to carry on in the service of our fellow Filipinos so that all of us may live and work in peace. Do not let this challenge demoralize or stray you from your path,” Albayalde said on Monday.
Gordon said that lack of action on the ninja cops issue would adversely affect government credibility among the public.
"Maglalaho ang tiwala ng tao sa ating gobyerno (People will cease to trust the government)," he said.
“We’re not gonna take it anymore."