Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año urged the leadership of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to continue improving the image of the police organization amid the continuous involvement of some of its men in illegal activities, particularly extortion.
Año also gave the message to all the 209,000 uniformed personnel of the PNP, saying such a task requires the cooperation of every member of the organization.
“We need to work even harder to alter this perception and improve the image on all our personnel,” said Año during the 119th Police Service Anniversary in Camp Crame in Quezon City.
The PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) continues to arrest erring policemen, mostly involved in extortion rackets that include forcing arrested drug personalities to give them money in exchange for dropping the charges.
Año said that the internal cleansing of the PNP should continue in order to remove the handful of erring cops who continue to use the organization for their own benefits.
"Our efforts are already gaining momentum and we will not stop until every scalawag is removed from our ranks,” said Año.
“We must be unyielding in our internal cleansing drive and by employing measures that beef up our character and caliber, we will be able to build a reputable and formidable police force trusted and well-respected by the Filipino people," he added.