AN OFFICIAL from the PRO (PRO)-Northern Mindanao said Wednesday, September 19, that one was killed and seven other policemen were wounded since the war on drugs was launched in the region.
Superintendent Surki Sereñas, PRO-Northern Mindanao spokesperson, said the fatality was Police Officer 3 (PO3) Gerson Autida who was killed after arresting a drug suspect in Valencia City, Bukidnon.
Wounded police personnel in shootouts during various anti-illegal drug operations were Police Senior Inspector (PSI) Dennis Ebsolo, PSI Felipe Yap, SPO2 Ronald Eugenio, PO3 Sherwin Seraspe, PO3 Bryan Ramaro, PO3 Dexter Montejo, and PO2 Yasser Macatbar, he added.
“It would have been amazing if policemen don't get hurt when shot. We also bleed and die,” Sereñas said referring to police casualties in the government's drug war.
Meanwhile, the PRO-Northern Mindanao have announced that the 15 policemen who were booted out from the service during its internal cleansing will forfeit all their service benefits and may likely face perpetual disqualification from reemployment in the government service once the decision reaches finality.
Records of the PNP internal cleansing campaign in Northern Mindanao showed that as of August 2018 there are 15 pending cases resolved. These cases stemmed from reports, complaints and motu propio investigations.
The dismissed policemen were from Bukidnon (7); Cagayan de Oro City (3); Iligan City (1); Misamis Occidental (3);
Misamis Oriental (1); and none in Camiguin and Lanao del Norte.
Their ranks are PO1 (5); PO2 (4); PO3 (3); SPO1 (2); and a Non-Uniformed Personnel (NUP).
“Earlier this year, we have manifested our full support to the PNP's internal cleansing campaign and our commitment to the CPNP's program of weeding out scalawags and undesirables in the PNP,” PRO-Northern Mindanao director Chief Superintendent Timoteo Pacleb said.
“The dismissal of these personnel has given concrete actions to that campaign and credence to our sincerity to our commitment,” he added.