PNP: Ex-police officials' ties to syndicates probed

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is validating reports that at least 10 former police officials are allegedly involved in extortion and kidnapping syndicates, its spokesperson said Monday.

Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño said the alleged involvement of former police personnel is now under validation as part of the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) broader campaign against criminality.

“Base po doon sa report ng extortion and kidnapping syndicate na diumano ng 10 ex-PNP personnel, kaugnay nito ang naturang pahayag ay bahagi ng malaking kampanya ng DILG laban sa kriminalidad,” Tuaño said at a press conference.

(Based on the report of the extortion and kidnapping syndicate allegedly involving 10 ex-PNP personnel, the statement is part of the DILG’s broader campaign against criminality.)

“Sa panig naman po ng PNP, further validation ang ginagawa kaugnay ng mga nasabing grupo. Kung sinumang kabahagi ng nasabing syndicate kung ikaw man ay aktibo, retirado, o dismissed na miyembro ng PNP, ito ay lahat ay mananagot sa batas,” he added.

(On the PNP side, further validation is being done regarding the said group. If anyone is part of the syndicate—whether active, retired, or dismissed from the PNP—all will be held accountable under the law.)

The PNP issued the statement after DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier said some former officials who had been dismissed from the police service for grave offenses had allegedly formed their own criminal groups.

In a separate statement, PNP chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. ordered a sweeping post-service integrity crackdown following the reports.

“As soon as we learned this report, I immediately directed our Intelligence Group (IG) and the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) to conduct a deep-dive validation,” he said.

“We are not just looking at their current activities but also who their possible connections inside the organization. Hindi tayo titigil hangga't hindi natin natutukoy ang bawat galamay ng mga grupong ito,” Nartatez added.

Aside from the investigation, the PNP chief also ordered a reassessment of internal monitoring systems to prevent corruption that may persist even after an officer’s retirement or dismissal.

The police organization said ethics training and anti-corruption workshops would be strengthened, while early-detection mechanisms in “sensitive units” would be enhanced.—MCG, GMA Integrated News