Brig. Gen. Alfred Corpus, Police Regional Office-12 (Soccsksargen) director. (File photo courtesy of PRO-12)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Three policemen in the Soccsksargen region are under investigation after being included in the latest “narco-list” of President Rodrigo Duterte, a police official said Monday.
Brig. Gen. Alfred Corpus, Police Regional Office (PRO)-12 director, said the three are among the 357 police personnel named in the drug list and were ordered to report to Camp Crame in Quezon City earlier this month.
Corpus said the policemen submitted themselves to the investigation ordered by the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director General Archie Gamboa.
“There are three policemen in PRO-12 (included) in the list but I can’t give you the names and can’t give you any more information about it,” Corpus said in a text message to PNA.
He assured that the involved policemen will be given due process and a chance to clear their names. He added that the three will be subjected to an adjudication process and considered “innocent until proven guilty”.
Corpus said they will conduct a separate validation process and will submit a recommendation after a month.
“In case they will be cleared, their names will immediately be taken off the President’s watchlist,” he said.
Corpus said the inclusion of the three policemen in the drug list should serve as a warning to their colleagues, especially those linked to illegal activities. He said it shows that the current PNP leadership is serious in cleansing their ranks of rogue policemen.
In 2016, at least five policemen under the PRO-12 were named in the initial drug list released by President Duterte. These included a police officer with the rank of Senior Inspector (Captain), and a town police chief in South Cotabato province. (PNA)
