- GILBERT BAYORAN
This was revealed yesterday by P/Col. Thomas Joseph Martir, director of the Bacolod City Police Office, who also confirmed that he had tendered his courtesy resignation, along with several police colonels assigned in Western Visayas Jan. 6.
Other top police officials in Western Visayas also submitted their courtesy resignations to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as a show of support to the initiative of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. to rid the Philippine National Police of so-called “rogue cops”.
Martir, who is due for retirement May this year, said they are expressing their full support to the call of Abalos to cleanse the ranks of the PNP.
There are two police brigadier generals and 29 police colonels assigned in Western Visayas.
In a statement issued Jan. 6 by the Third Level Officers of the Police Regional Office 6, they said that they are heeding the call of the SILG to cleanse the ranks of the PNP of rogue cops involved in illegal drugs.
By third level, these are police officers who occupy Exclusive 1 positions that are often assigned to those with the rank of full-pledged colonel.
“We are expressing our full support and cooperation to this noble objective and pursuant thereto, we have executed our personal compliances and undertakings to this effect,” the statement further said.
P/Brig. Gen. Leo Francisco, regional police director of Western Visayas, met with the PRO6 command group and staff officers, as well as provincial and city police directors of Western Visayas Friday, to discuss the call of Abalos to PNP ranking officials.
Martir clarified that they were not pressured to submit their courtesy resignations.
The Third Level Officers said they are “open to any inquiry on involvement in illegal drug-related activities by a duly-constituted administrative body, in relation to this noble goal of cleansing the ranks of the PNP.
“We support the chief PNP and the regional director of PRO6 for taking the lead in the attainment of this goal, and we salute them both for taking up the cudgels on this task,” the statement added.
Francisco heeded the call of Abalos after PNP chief, Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., submitted his courtesy resignation.
The Third Level Officers also condemned the illegal acts of the PNP officers, who have tarnished the reputation of the organization by their involvement in illegal drugs.
Abalos’ call for courtesy resignation reportedly covered 820 colonels, 108 brigadier generals, 19 major generals, and eight lieutenant generals, who are expected to follow the action of Azurin until Jan. 31./GB
