Cop survey denied

The National Capital Regional Police (NCRPO) strongly denied any election survey had been conducted among its personnel showing actor Fernando Poe Jr. leading President Arroyo by 18 percent .

"We have no knowledge of such a survey having been conducted among our personnel," Metro police chief Director Ricardo de Leon said.

De Leon emphasized that even if such survey exists "our personnel will never participate in an extremely political partisan activity that jeopardizes the apolitical stance of the PNP institution."

"As public servants, we strictly abide by the prohibitions of the Civil Service Commission against any practice projecting individual political leanings," he said.

De Leon issued the clarification after a newspaper revealed that a survey conducted two weeks ago among 1,200 officers and men of the NCRPO gave Poe 44 percent and the President getting 26 percent. Former PNP chief Sen. Panfilo Lacson was third with only 12 votes separating him and the President.

The NCRPO strongly denounced moves by political parties to use the organization as a leverage to achieve political gains and to undermine the PNPs apolitical stance.

They urged political groups to cease from using the police organization to achieve mileage, either in politics or in media, to further their ends.

"No organization has sought clearance for the conduct of the survey in the NCRPO. If there were, we would have instantly turned it down because it would put into question the neutrality of the PNP," De Leon pointed out.

He further stated that it is not a practice of the police organization to conduct an in-house survey among its men because it would put color into the NCRPO’s commitment to serve and protect.

"Our mandate remains constant, to protect the rights of the citizenry and to stay neutral in all democratic processes. Our loyalty is to the Constitution and to the people we serve and we will never allow ourselves to be pawns in a political cat-and-mouse game," De Leon said.

He added that the only participation of the NCRPO in the May 10 elections is to ensure the conduct of an honest, orderly, and peaceful elections (HOPE) and to cast their vote as citizens of the country afforded the right to suffrage.