THE two police officers from Abellana Police Station 2 who were photographed while sleeping inside a patrol car along General Maxilom Avenue in Cebu City at dawn on Thursday, April 13, 2023, have been relieved of duty and subjected to a pre-charge investigation by the City Investigation and Detective Management Unit (CIDMU) of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
CCPO Chief Colonel Ireneo Dalogdog said the two policemen, who have ranks of staff sergeant and corporal, will be temporarily assigned to the Cebu City Holding Admin Unit while the pre-charge investigation for administrative case is ongoing.
“Hinayaan natin ang dalawa na mag-explain (We let the two explain). As of now the investigation is ongoing, so ang atong CIDMU nag ready na sa appropriate administrative case to be filed against the two personnel. We will not tolerate this kind of behavior,” Dalogdog said.
Major Nolan Tagsip, chief of Abellana Police Station 2, said his personnel had 12 hours of duty and were supposed to leave at 8 a.m. on Thursday, but he was shocked to learn that at 6 a.m., a photo of them shot by a Facebook user Alex Lim became viral on social media.
“We immediately relieved them pending the ongoing investigation. Diri lang usa sila sa city headquarters then we will file an administrative case sa ilaha as per Napolcom 2016-002 memorandum for pre-charge investigation,” Tagsip said.
Because of this, Dalogdog vowed to include the station commanders in the administrative case if any of their personnel will be caught for a similar offense, which carries a punishment of 30 to 60 days of work suspension.
“Nag-isyu na ako ng memorandum directing all station commanders and other chief special units to strictly supervise their personnel under their respective jurisdiction. Pag may mahuli tayo uli na ganitong insidente we will include the chief supervisor and the immediate superior officer to be held responsible for failure to supervise and monitor their personnel,” Dalogdog revealed. (AYB, TPT)