Bacalzo sacks cop over drugs

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga, Philippines – “I don’t want to hear any explanation from you. You are now dismissed from the police service.”

Thus said PNP Chief Director General Raul M. Bacalzo when he saw Police Officer 1 Richard Guiyab of the San Jose del Monte City Police Station, who was recently caught in the act of engaging in a shabu pot session, during his visit to the Police Regional Office 3 in Camp Olivas, Pampanga, last Friday.

Bacalzo was at the PRO3 headquarters to witness the completion of the first batch of the police retraining program. A total of 47 PNP personnel from PRO3, 60 from the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO), and 60 from PRO4-A (Calabarzon) completed the retraining course.

The PNP Chief urged all policemen in Central Luzon not to relax in the performance of their duties despite the crisis besetting the organization.

Bacalzo said the refresher-retraining course for all members of the PNP is part of his advocacy and has the full support of Chief Supt. Alan La Madrid Purisima, PRO3 director, and Director Danilo Q. Abarsoza, director of the Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD).

While Bacalzo told Guiyab in Camp Olivas that he is now dismissed, the PNP said on Saturday that the Bulacan policeman was only relieved from his post and given a preventive suspension.

Aside from Guiyab, Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr., PNP spokesman, said the relief and preventive suspension also covered Police Officer 2 Antonio Carmona and Police Officer 1 Elvin Tabora, both of the Caloocan City Police who were caught on video engaged in a pot session.

In Metro Manila, the NCRPO announced that random drug tests will be conducted on all policemen in the National Capital Region after two Caloocan cops were caught on video engaged in a drug session.

Director Nicanor Bartolome, NCRPO chief, said that the random or unannounced drug test will be done anytime of the day and night.

Bartolome said that the test will cover everyone – officers, non-commissioned personnel, including civilian personnel.

“No one will be exempted from the test,” Bartolome stressed.

The NCRPO chief said that Makati Police Station will no longer be included as they have already conducted surprised drug test on their personnel.

Bartolome said that members of the Caloocan Police Station were immediately subjected for drug test after Carmona and Tabora were caught on a video engaged in a pot session.

He said that although the two policemen tested negative for drug use, they will still be charged administratively.

It was learned that during drug test conducted on members of the Caloocan Police Station, two policemen tested positive for drug use. They were identified as PO2 Armando Jimenez and PO3 Hermil Lumba. Both were immediately relieved from their posts, disarmed, and placed under restrictive custody of the Caloocan Police Station.

Bartolome also ordered the relief of Senior Inspector Albert Ebdane, Caloocan Police Community Precinct 6 commander and will also be charged administrative for command responsibility.

He also ordered SPO3 Henry Bañez, Police Community Precinct 7 officer-in-charge to take proper action or face the same consequences.

It was learned that Carmona, Jimenez and Lumba were assigned under the command of Ebdane while Tabora is assigned to Bañez.

At the Northern Police District in Metro Manila, more than 80 policemen went through a surprise random drug test, the second since August last year in an effort to cleanse its ranks.

Chief Superintendent Edgardo T. Ladao, NPD director, and Senior Supt. Roberto Villanueva, directorial chief, led the drug test conducted by the Scene of the Crime Office (SOCO) of the NPD headed by Supt. Filemon Porcioncula.

Ladao said 54 policemen from the NPD headquarters went through the random drug test, while the rest came from the four other police stations. (Reports from Freddie Velez and Aaron Recuenco with Jean Fernando and Ed Mahilum, Manila Bulletin)