A POLICE officer was dismissed from service after his repeated involvement in crime incidents, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Benjamin Acorda Jr. said Monday, January 15, 2024.
In a press conference, Acorda said he signed the dismissal order of Lieutenant Colonel Mark Julio Abong on December 18, 2023.
“It’s his right to appeal but based on the provisions of existing policies, the decision is executory, meaning while he may render his appeal or submit his appeal, the decision should stand. He is dismissed from the service. With regard to benefits, if you are dismissed, you are not entitled to benefits,” he said.
Abong was arrested in November over illegal discharge of firearms following an altercation with a bar manager in Barangay Laging Handa in Quezon City.
Confiscated from Abong were one Glock 40 pistol with serial number AAMA005, one magazine loaded with nine 40 calibre live ammunition, and two empty 40 calibre cartridges.
Abong, who was then an active member of the PNP under the Legal Service department, was charged with illegal discharge of firearms and alarms and scandals in relation to omnibus election code, physical injury and slander by deed before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.
Abong was the former chief of the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit who was relieved in August 2022 following his involvement in a hit-and-run incident that resulted in the killing of a tricycle driver. The driver’s passenger was injured.
He was found guilty by the People’s Law Enforcement Board of the City Government of multiple charges of grave misconduct, grave neglect of duty, and conduct unbecoming of a police officer with the aggravating circumstance of employment of fraudulent means to conceal an offense.
Meanwhile, Acorda ordered regional police commanders to conduct an inventory of all the case folders of erring policemen, noting that reports that some documents pertaining to the investigation of errant cops tgat went missing at the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) are already alarming.
“I am encouraging all other regions to review and check on their system or in their records if there are similar incidents. It's sad to note that there are some other police officers that are involved in drugs, but what I want to emphasize is we are active in pursuing this internal cleansing and we are not letting up in running after them,” Acorda said.
Since July 2023 when NCRPO Director Major General Jose Melencio Nartatez took over its helm, some 300 erring cops have been dismissed from the service.
He earlier said that while they are reviewing the status of other administrative cases against police officers, they found out that some case folders were lost while some cases have been resolved but the decision is not implemented yet.
Nartatez has already ordered an investigation on the matter, focusing on the possibility that those cops with existing cases are in cahoots with some policemen handling administrative matters in the NCRPO.
Acorda said they are not discounting the possibility that such could also be happening in other police regional offices.
“We are looking into that. We are assuming that there are similar incidents in other regions. Those record holders should be held accountable because documents such as these are important and no document should be missing or even the entire case folders,” said Acorda.
In order to boost the documentation process, Acorda tasked the regional directors to come up with a system to monitor the transfer of documents from one person or office to another.
“I don't know what it is happening again so maybe it's just a matter of reviewing the system and implementing it,” said Acorda.
“If there is evidence that would somehow state there is negligence on the part of these record holders who are supposedly keeping them, definitely there is negligence and there will be sanctions that can be imposed upon them,” he added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)