Lawmaker seeks audit of pending administrative cases vs erring cops

MANILA -- The National Police Commission (Napolcom) should come out with an inventory of all cases involving policemen, a lawmaker said Thursday.

"Recent incidents of policemen involved in crimes and other acts prejudicial to the service reveal that those involved have derogatory records and pending cases," House Assistant Majority Leader Karlo Alexei Nograles said.

The lawmaker cited the recent involvement of two Quezon City policemen identified as Senior Police Officer 4 Jose de la Peña Jr. and Police Officer 2 Resty Del Rosario in an apparent attempt to extort money from the son of newly designated National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Leonardo Espina.

This incident, Nograles said, should prompt a full and complete inventory of all cases involving policemen as he took to task the Napolcom for failing to expeditiously act on administrative cases filed against erring policemen.

De la Peña was dismissed from service Wednesday in connection to a similar offense committed in 2009.

Espina said the dismissal orders against De la Peña and 15 other policemen had been approved before he became NCRPO chief on September 7.

Nograles added that there is a need to enhance the values-formation and re-training of all members of the Philippine National Police and other concerned officers. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)