CEBU CITY, Philippines — Four policemen from the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) were among the 357 officers recalled by Police General Archie Gamboa, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, the newly installed director of the PRO-7, told reporters on Monday, February 10, 2020, that the four policemen were made to report to Camp Crame, headquarters of the PNP, due to their alleged involvement in illegal drugs.
Ferro said the four policemen will undergo adjudication process, which started Monday morning, to give these officers a chance to prove their innocence.
“If proven that they are guilty and involved in illegal drugs, they will be dismissed from the service and will face other administrative charges,” said Ferro.
Read: New PRO-7 chief leads signing of ‘No Take’ policy on illegal activities
Ferro did not disclose the names and ranks of the policemen but assured that they will be given due process.
The recalling of the four officers, according to Ferro, is a warning to all the other policemen under PRO-7 not to be involved with illegal drugs or any other illegal activities.
He said that when he was still a director of the drug enforcement group at the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), he knew of reports about the rampant involvement of cops in the Visayas in illegal activities.
“There were times before, where the collection of illegal gambling was being mixed to the collection of illegal drugs,” said Ferro. /bmjo