MPD chief sacks all cops at ‘filthy’ precinct

MANILA, Philippines - Newly appointed Manila Police District (MPD) director Chief Superintendent Rolando Asuncion relieved yesterday all 21 police officers at a police community precinct, which he found to be littered with garbage and used utensils.

“It’s the worst (I’ve seen so far). It was so filthy,” he said.

Barbosa precinct commander Chief Inspector Joselito de Sesto, deputy commander Inspector Joel Guimpatan and all the police officers under them have been ordered replaced.

Asuncion, who assumed office Monday, said he was “looking for someone to praise” when he decided to inspect the MPD precincts.

“Before I was transferred, someone told me about the ‘best practices’ of the MPD. It was staging formation before they are deployed. That person said he could not forget it because only the MPD did it. I wanted to see it for myself,” he said.

Incognito

On his second day, Asuncion decided to inspect MPD precincts while in civilian clothes. He said he planned to visit the detachment in the University Belt Area, known as UBA among Manila police officers, but the police colonel he talked to gave him directions to a different precinct.

At 7:30 a.m. yesterday, Asuncion ended up in what he described as the “worst” precinct he has seen so far – the precinct in Barbosa, Quiapo.

He said he saw ash trays and used glasses scattered on tables, police officers sleeping in front of the desk officer, whose uniform was “lousy” or did not meet the guidelines for the proper wearing of the police uniform.

At first, Asuncion did not introduce himself and told the desk officer that he was there to have an incident recorded in the blotter. He said the desk officer talked to him in a hurried manner.

As they talked, Asuncion looked around. He said the front of the precinct was littered with garbage. “I don’t know how they conduct formation there,” he said.

Asuncion said the sight of the trash made him angry, prompting him to introduce himself. Police officers sleeping in the precinct’s nooks and crannies rushed to form a line in front of him, he said. Some of them were still in white undershirts, according to Asuncion.