Senators on Wednesday hit the Philippine National Police (PNP) for downplaying the number of rogue cops within its ranks.
Senator Joel Villanueva raised an eyebrow over a recent statement from the PNP following the killing of Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank by policeman Jonel Nuezca in Paniqui, Tarlac last Sunday. Officials maintained that the incident was isolated and appealed to the public not to stereotype the entire police force for Nuezca's crime.
"Being a cop is a very tough job, harder than a senator. We love our cops but for PNP to say less than 5 percent lang ang erring cops," Villanueva said on Twitter.
"Sa 221k na headcount (For the total 221,000 headcount, that's about 11k erring cops. We have 1,634 cities and municipalities, so ibig sabihin may 7 na bugok sa bawat lungsod at bayan (that means there are seven rogue cops in each city and town)?" he pointed out.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, for his part, said the National Police Commission, which supervises the PNP, should immediately act on the cases involving policemen and impose sanctions.
"The step to discipline rogue policemen is to discipline the disciplinarian," he tweeted.
"Cases in NAPOLCOM should be resolved quickly punish those who violate the law procedures. Hindi na natatakot mga skalawags sa batas (Scalawags are not anymore afraid of our laws)," he lamented.
The killing of Sonya and Frank sparked public outrage and prompted calls for reforms in the PNP, specifically in the orientation of its members.
Senators have also called for a legislative inquiry on the incident as well as the recent killings of civilians to address the gaps in law enforcement and end the alleged culture of impunity in the country.
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