ZAMBOANGA CITY (PNA) – Col. Alexander Lorenzo, police chief here, tendered his courtesy resignation on Thursday, Jan. 5, supporting the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) effort to weed the Philippine National Police (PNP) of scalawags.
Lorenzo said on Saturday, Jan. 7, that he submitted his courtesy resignation in response to the appeal of DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. to all colonels and generals as part of the internal cleansing program of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
On Wednesday, Jan. 4, Abalos called on all colonels and generals of the PNP to submit their courtesy resignation in a radical move to cleanse the institution of those linked to illegal drugs.
A five-member committee which is independent of the PNP and DILG will handle the assessment and evaluation process.
“I am opening myself to any investigation, including the scrutiny of the five-man committee,” Lorenzo said in a statement.
Lorenzo said that he tendered his courtesy resignation to show his commitment and cooperation with the present internal cleansing program of the PNP.
“I am hopeful that the department (DILG), through the PNP, may forthwith proceed with its open and impartial investigation, with the intention to cleanse the organization and to give justice to those who are innocent on the issue,” he added.
Lorenzo is the first to tender a courtesy resignation under the jurisdiction of the Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9), which covers the cities of Zamboanga and Isabela and the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay.
Major Shellamie Chang, PRO-9 information officer, said earlier that no one among the command’s senior officials with ranks of general and colonels has filed their resignation letters, despite calls for senior police officials to submit their courtesy resignation.
The PRO-9 leadership currently consists of two generals and 14 colonels.
PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. has given all colonels and generals of the police force until Jan. 31 to submit their courtesy resignation.