President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on Tuesday that he has accepted the resignation of eighteen (18) Third-Level Officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) allegedly involved in illegal drugs activities, upon the recommendation of the National Police Commission Ad Hoc Advisory Group that investigated the matter.
The President announced in his second State of the Nation Address held yesterday at the Batasang Pambansa that he would be accepting the resignation of “unscrupulous law enforcers and others involved in the highly nefarious drug trade.”
In a letter to the President, PNP Chief Benjamin Acorda Jr. informed the former that the Ad Hoc Advisory Group conducted a thorough investigation into the alleged involvement of 953 Third Level Officers in illegal drugs activities. Said officers have tendered their courtesy resignation pending the investigation.
Of the 953, the Group recommended the non-acceptance of 935 courtesy resignations and the acceptance of the resignation of the following eighteen (18) officers:
1. PBGEN Remus Balingasa Medina O-10038
2. PBGEN Randy Quines Peralta O-05124
3. PBGEN Pablo Gacayan Labra II O-03734
4. PCOL Rogarth Bulalacao Campo O-08477
5. PCOL Rommel Javier Ochave O-08085
6. PCOL Rommel Allaga Velasco O-08084
7. PCOL Robin King Sarmiento O-03552
8. PCOL Fernando Reyes Ortega O-07478
9. PCOL Rex Ordoño Derilo O-10549
10. PCOL Julian Tesorero Olonan O-12395
11. PCOL Rolando Tapon Portera O-07520
12. PCOL Lawrence Bonifacio Cajipe O-12905
13. PCOL Dario Milagrosa Menor O-07757
14. PCOL Joel Kagayed Tampis O-08180
15. PCOL Michael Arcillas David O-07686
16. PCOL Igmedio Belonio Bernaldez O-12544
17. PCOL Rodolfo Calope Albotra Jr O-08061
18. PCOL Marvin Barba Sanchez O-08043
According to the PNP Chief, the above officials are continuously being monitored.
He also said that the necessary “orders for their relief from their present positions will be immediately issued and the (resigned) officers will be assigned to the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit, DPRM (Directorate for Personnel and Records Management) to preclude them from exerting further influence and/or performing illegal activities using their positions.”
At the start of his administration, President Marcos vowed “to clean up the ranks of the PNP, saying that the drug problem would not exist without the involvement of police officials.”
In his SONA, the President also said that he will thereafter appoint individuals with unquestionable integrity to lead the government’s campaign against illegal drugs as he emphasized that his administration is putting “a new face” to the campaign.
“In their stead, we will install individuals with unquestionable integrity, who will be effective and trustworthy in handling the task of eliminating this dreaded and corrosive social curse. We cannot tolerate corruption or incompetence in government,” said the President.
He also strongly declared that the government “will relentlessly continue our fight against drug syndicates, shutting down their illegal activities. We will shut down their activities and dismantle their network of operations.” #
