Dismissal for cops engaging in partisan politics: PNP

MANILA – Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, on Monday warned all police personnel to refrain from engaging in partisan politics, less than a year before the country’s next elections.

“Policemen have no business in politics unless they resign and run for public office or openly support a candidate. We have already mechanisms to isolate the PNP from politics and we will make sure that all of these are in place and are properly observed,” Eleazar said, reiterating Interior Secretary Eduardo Año’s warning to PNP personnel to remain non-partisan or face dismissal from the service.

This came as the National Police Commission (Napolcom) recently dismissed from the service six policemen in Negros Oriental after finding them guilty of grave misconduct and grave irregularities in the performance of their duty by subjecting then Moises Padilla town vice mayor Ella Garcia-Yulo to an illegal search and seizure in 2017.

After a thorough probe, the Napolcom found that the six PNP personnel subjected Yulo to political harassment as she was planning to run for mayor in 2019 against then incumbent mayor Magdaleno Peña.

He said PNP personnel have a longer tenure in office compared to politicians, whose terms range from three to six years depending on their position.

Eleazar said those caught and found engaging in partisan politics could lose a lot of benefits, including their retirement pension.

“The incident that happened in Negros Occidental wherein six PNP personnel were dismissed from the service for dipping their fingers into local politics should serve as a warning to all other personnel about the risk they are staking for involving themselves in politics,” Eleazar said.

He added that PNP personnel should instead focus on coming up with measures to ensure orderly, credible, and peaceful national and local elections next year.