NCRPO chief orders random drug tests after ‘Imbestigador’ exposé

(Updated 1:37 a.m. Jan. 15) National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Nicanor Bartolome on Friday ordered random drug tests on Metro Manila cops and the office’s civilian personnel after GMA News’ “Imbestigador" caught on video two members of the Caloocan police sniffing drugs. Irked by the reports of drug use among cops, Bartolome ordered random drug test on all officers, non-commissioned personnel and civilian employees of the NCRPO. “No one will be exempt… I will not tolerate any misdeeds of any of my personnel," he said in a statement Friday. The NCRPO chief likewise warned his personnel that reports of any misconduct of policemen under his command will be immediately acted upon. Bartolome’s order came days after GMA News’ “Imbestigador" released videos of two cops, later identified as PO1 Antonio Carmona and PO1 Elvin Tabora, sniffing drugs while in police uniform. The two policemen were tested negative for drug use during a surprise drug test on Caloocan cops on Thursday, although Bartolome said they will still be charged administratively because of the video. In the same drug test, two other cops from Caloocan City—PO2 Armando Jimenez and PO3 Hermil Lumba—tested positive for drug use. Jimenez and Lumba were immediately relieved from their posts after the results of the drug tests were known. Police Senior Inspector Albert Ebdane, chief of the police station where Jimenez, Lumba and Carmona were assigned, was also sacked and will be administratively charged for command responsibility. Earlier in the day, PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo ordered the preventive suspension of PO2 Richard Guiyab, one of the policemen also caught in video by “Imbestigador". Guiyab was presented to Bacalzo at Camp Olivas in Pampanga, where the PNP chief severely reprimanded the errant cop, according to a report aired over GMA News’ “Saksi" on Friday. “Prepare to go home empty-handed. Kalimutan mo na ‘yang pagpupulis mo [Forget your plans of serving in the police force]," Bacalzo told Guiyab, who appeared downcast while the PNP chief lashed out at him.
“Nakakasuka talaga ‘yung mga ganyang klase, drugs, kidnapping, etc. Talagang ‘yun, hindi na dapat pinatatawad ‘yun. Talagang mabulok na dapat sila sa kulungan nun," he added. (Their involvement in drug use, kidnapping, etc. is really revolting. These deeds are unforgivable, and they should really rot in jail.) The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) likewise underwent drug testing, with QCPD director Police Chief Superintendent Benjardi Mantele asking GMA News’ TV crew to take footage of male police officers submitting their urine samples for “transparency". In the past several months, local cops have been implicated in high-profile criminal offenses such as kidnap-for-ransom activities, murder, rape and drug use. These cases were in addition to the Manila hostage fiasco in August 2010, which inflicted ugly bruises on the morale and reputation, not only of the Philippine National Police (PNP) that botched the assault against hostage taker and dismissed cop Rolando Mendoza, but of the fledgling Aquino administration as a whole. (See: Massacre in nation's heart: Timeline of Manila bus siege)—Andreo C. Calonzo with Jerrie M. Abella/JV, GMANews.TV