Thorough review on over 7,000 MILF, MNLF members who passed PNP qualifying exams sought
Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) will be conducting a review on all the 7,000 members of two large secessionist groups in Mindanao who passed the qualifying examinations to enter the police service.
Azurin specifically wants to pore over the age and education background of the 7,000 passers from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) out of the more than 11,000 who took the examinations in May this year.
"I requested for the review of the over 7,000 to determine if they were really combatant. If the age of those who passed the exams is 21, 22, 23, you would begin to wonder if they were really combatant," said Azurin.
"If the age of those who passed are under 30, why don't they just undergo the regular application? Some of them are college graduates anyway," he added.
The integration of MILF and MNLF members in the PNP is covered by the Republic Act No. 11054, or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which was enacted after the signing of a peace agreement with the MILF.
While Azurin was questioning the age of the passers, the National Police Commission (Napolcom) earlier said that the age requirement for MILF and MNLF applicants shall not be below 20 nor over 35 years of age.
One of the major requirements for the applicants to the special qualifying exams is a certification from the MILF and the MNLF that they are indeed bona fide members of the two organizations.
But Azurin insinuated that some of those who passed the special qualifying examinations are not really combatants of the MILF and the MNLF.
"The rules on age, eligibility and the education attainment were already relaxed. So why do we have to allow the entry of those who are not really combatants (bona fide members of the MILF, MNLF)," said Azurin.
"So definitely it will be discussed thoroughly by the PNP and Napolcom," said Azurin.