Verzosa on cops facing gun ban raps: PNP commanders also to blame

MANILA, Philippines - Irked over the increasing number of police officers arrested for violating the election-related gun ban, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Jesus Verzosa warned police commanders yesterday that they will be held administratively liable if their personnel disregard the ban.

Verzosa said at least 40 police officers, assigned in different police stations nationwide, were arrested for violating the gun ban, which was relatively high and “unacceptable.”

The PNP chief said he would invoke the Doctrine of Command Responsibility to lay a degree of accountability on police commanders.

“I am serving notice to all police commanders that appropriate administrative sanctions will be meted against those whose subordinates have been arrested in violation of the election gun ban, as a consequence of the commanders apparent failure to exercise proper supervision over their men,” Verzosa said.

Aside from 40 police officers, those arrested for violating the gun ban imposed by the Commission on Elections include 25 members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, 23 government officials and employees and 479 civilians. They are facing various criminal and administrative charges for violation of the election gun ban law.

Verzosa said the ideal number of police violators should be zero in order to clothe the 130,000-strong PNP with “organizational and personal” moral ascendancy and enable them to conduct credible and effective security and law enforcement operations.

“I cannot understand, much less accept the fact why some policemen think that they are above the law. As officers of the law, we all must obey the law, not violate the very same law which we are supposed to enforce,” a visibly irked Verzosa said.

He directed Chief Superintendent Ifor Magbanua, Inspector General of the PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS), to resolve the cases involving police officers within 30 days from the time of their arrest for gun ban violations until the determination of appropriate sanctions against them.

“We (PNP leadership) must send a strong and very clear signal to every policeman that the government is serious in the campaign against illegal possession and carrying of firearms anywhere by anyone especially in line with our pursuit of ensuring the conduct of honest, orderly and peaceful elections this May, by expeditiously resolving and pursuing to their logical end, the cases against these policemen,” Verzosa said.

Violators of the gun ban law face criminal charges of illegal possession of firearms, and in the case of policemen, they are also slapped with administrative cases with penalties ranging from re-training and suspension to demotion and outright dismissal from the service.