Bato: Erring cops evading transfer to Basilan makes sacking them easier

Erring cops who dodged their deployment to Basilan just made their dismissal easier for the Philippine National Police, Dir. Gen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said Tuesday.

At the House committee hearing on the police’s Oplan Double Barrel: Reloaded, Dela Rosa noted how 257 of the 310 “scalawags” no longer reported for duty, after they were sanctioned with that transfer.

“Mabuti na ‘yung ‘wag na silang mag-report. Automatic AWOL [absence without leave] na sila, matanggal sa serbisyo. It would make our job easy,” he said.

Dela Rosa said the erring cops were sent there “just to uproot them from their comfort zone.”

This was also done to stop their operations here in Metro Manila, he added.

“Hindi naman po natin puwedeng i-dismiss agad, na tanggalin sa serbisyo. Mahaba po ‘yung due process na ginagawa natin. So ang immediate action was to uproot them from their comfort zone para ‘di makapag-operate dito. Kasi kung mag-operate sila sa Basilan, sigurado mamamatay sila do’n,” he said. 

Erring cops who will be deployed to Basilan have derogatory records, most of them facing criminal and administrative charges, including robbery extortion. Some of them were also said to have tested positive for illegal drugs, but most only had minor cases.

The re-assignment of the erring members of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) began last month. 

Only 53 of the 310 policemen showed up to abide by their transfer to Basilan, where President Rodrigo Duterte ordered to send them for two years. — MDM, GMA News