Police major in custody over alleged link to e-sabong in Negros —PNP

A police major has been placed under restrictive custody after being accused of acting as a protector of illegal online cockfighting operations and other unlawful activities in Negros Island, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Tuesday.

“The officer has since been relieved from his post and placed under restrictive custody as part of an expanding probe into the alleged gambling network,” the PNP said in a statement. 

The PNP did not disclose the name of the concerned cop in the press release. 

PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the officer was also relieved from his post.

Nartatez ordered intensified intelligence monitoring and case buildup efforts targeting police personnel suspected of involvement in illegal activities.

“This kind of police officer symbolizes termites that threaten to destroy what we all built for the PNP. We will not allow that to happen by exhausting all necessary measures to identify them and hold them accountable,” he said. 

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), in coordination with the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG), has been directed to strengthen information-gathering and surveillance operations against erring officers.

Nartatez reminded police commanders to ensure strict supervision of their personnel, warning that the principle of command responsibility would be enforced if their subordinates are found engaged in illegal activities.

The PNP chief vowed that he would personally monitor the progress of the investigation to ensure that appropriate criminal and administrative charges would be filed while observing due process.

“There are only a few of them in the PNP. Let us all work together to identify them and remove them from our organization to protect our badge and what we established so far in winning the hearts and minds of our kababayan,” he said. —AOL, GMA News