Aquino said Albayalde asked him not to dismiss ‘ninja cops’, says Gordon

Then Metro Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde in 2016 asked then Central Luzon regional director Aaron Aquino to refrain from signing the order to dismiss the 13 police officers who figured in an allegedly anomalous drug operation in Pampanga in 2013.

This was what current Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency director general Aquino told Senators Richard Gordon and Franklin Drilon in a meeting before the Senate joint committee hearing regarding "recycled drugs" and "ninja cops" on Tuesday.

Gordon  told reporters that Aquino during the meeting was forthright in saying Albayalde called to ask him not to sign and release the dismissal of the 13 police officers.

In a separate interview, Drilon said Aquino told the senators Albayalde asked him not to implement the dismissal just yet.

Albayalde is now the chief of the Philippine National Police. He is slated to retire in November.

“I’m really disappointed kay Aquino. Eto ha, kasama ko si Senator Drilon nung sinabi n’ya ‘yan. Na tinawagan sya ni Albayalde para itigil... 'wag n'ya na pirmahan yung order," Gordon said.

“‘Yun nga kinausap siya ni Albayalde para ‘wag ilabas ‘yung decision,” he added.

The dismissal order was issued in 2014 by then Central Luzon police chief Raul Petrasanta.

It was never implemented by the succeeding regional police directors, including Aquino. The erring police officers were only demoted by a rank in 2016.

The police officers were found to have violated certain rules in the drug buy-bust operation in Pampanga in November 2013.

They allegedly declared that only more than 30 kilos of shabu were seized when 200 kilos were actually confiscated.

Then PNP chief Alan Purisima, according to then Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Benjamin Magalong, had them investigated after they reportedly acquired SUVs after the questionable operations.

Gordon said Aquino softened during the hearing as he stated that Albayalde merely asked for the status of the dismissal order. 

“Nung kausap ko siya kahapon sabi niya na nalito ako. Kaya pati si Magalong very disappointed siya,” Gordon said.

‘More forthright’

Drilon, in a separate interview, confirmed that he was present in the meeting with Aquino.

“I confirm that I was invited to a meeting by Senator Gordon to listen to Gen. Aquino. He said what he said during the open hearing, although we noticed already some hesitancy during the public hearing,” Drilon said.

“Certainly, I am disappointed, because I think he was more forthright when he met with us,” he added.

Asked what Aquino told them, Drilon said he could not recall the exact words but he remembered that the substance was the request not to implement the dismissal order.

“I’m sorry I could not recall the exact words. Pero ang nakiusap na huwag muna i-implement is something in substance that I remember to be the narration of General Aquino of his telephone conversation with General Albayalde,” Drilon said.

The opposition leader said that what Albayalde did was improper.

“Very improper. Whether or not it was simply to find out what the status of the case was, the fact that the phone call was made, to me, it’s improper,” Drilon said

However, the former justice secretary said the call did not implicate the PNP chief in the alleged illegal activities of his former subordinates.

“Well, what appears to be the shortcoming of Abayalde is he made the call. That call does not implicate him from criminal case,” Drilon said. —NB, GMA News