MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday expressed gratitude to the Senate for fully supporting all of its measures aimed at cleansing the service of misfits and scalawags.
"We welcome the Senators’ expression of support to our sincere actions to maintain the highest standard of transparency and accountability in the police service," the PNP said in a statement sent to reporters.
The PNP further said that it recognized the concerns raised by Senators that the very few rogue elements in the police force must not be given any room to propagate their activities and destroy the reputation of the entire organization.
"We assure our Honorable Senators that all measures are in place to prevent every possible opportunity for irregularities to be committed by police personnel and if committed, appropriate actions will be readily taken,” the statement read.
To achieve this goal, the PNP said it will reinforce the preventive aspect of their internal disciplinary systems through early detection and active counter-intelligence to identify red flags and deny further deviancy.
"The Internal Affairs Service (IAS) backed by the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) shall lead the way in this endeavor," it stressed.
The PNP issued the statement after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel, Senator Ronald dela Rosa and Senator Risa Hontiveros said in separate statements that cleansing the police force should be among the main thrusts of Acorda as he took the helm of the PNP on Monday.
They also cited Acorda's previous work as head of the Directorate for Intelligence and the Northern Mindanao police force as an important asset in the internal cleansing program of the PNP.
On Wednesday, Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. also urged Acorda to prioritize “internal cleansing” and vowed his full support in solving issues affecting the integrity of the PNP.
As this developed, newly-appointed PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. assured that he will continue the campaign against illegal drugs.
This after the PNP announced the seizure of over PHP5 billion worth of illegal narcotics from January 1 to April 25 this year.
"Under my leadership, I will assure the public that the PNP will remain steadfast in its commitment to protect the Filipino people and rid the country of the drug menace. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our communities are safe and secure," he added. (With a report from Priam F. Nepomuceno/PNA)
