PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) officials who have already retired can still face criminal charges if they are discovered to have links with narcotics syndicates.
This, according to PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo as she announced that 98 percent of PNP officers (from colonel to general) or a total of 935 out of 956 individuals have submitted their courtesy resignations as of January 16, 2023, as part of the PNP’s ‘internal cleansing’ campaign.
Fajardo said that only 18 PNP officials have yet to submit their courtesy resignations as she noted that eight of them of them are already set to retire in a few days of weeks.
She added that the officers opted to wait for their retirement instead of submitting their courtesy resignations.
Still, Fajardo said even retired officials can still face charges once proven to have links with drugs syndicate.
Fajardo further said that pensions of these retired officials who will be discovered to have links with narcotics groups will be held in abeyance until the resolution of the cases.
A 5-man committee to be formed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is set to conduct an evaluation and assessment on all PNP colonels and generals.
“We are waiting for the official announcement on the composition of the five-man committee that will conduct an examination of those who have submitted courtesy resignations.
“We are also waiting on how they are going to do the processing and assessment of those who have submitted their courtesy resignations,” Fajardo said in a recent radio interview.
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos last January 4, 2023, urged hundreds of top-ranking police in the Philippines to resign as the government seeks to “cleanse” the corruption-tainted force of officers involved in the illegal drugs trade.
Abalos also said that the National Police Commission (Napolcom) has been tasked to review the list of police officers whose resignation will be accepted.
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, a retired police general, is part of the five-member committee. Abalos said he will soon announce the other members of the body.
“The process does not end upon the acceptance of courtesy resignation.
Even if a police official is allowed to retire for the time being, the monitoring and investigation must continue to gather evidence that may lead to eventual criminal prosecution. We must always act within the rule of law,” Abalos said.