Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. has urged the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to immediately implement a one-strike policy on police officials and personnel in areas where heinous acts of violence are perpetrated.
Revilla made the call following a spate of assassinations of elected local government officials, particularly in Negros Oriental where Governor Roel Degamo was assassinated right in his own house.
“May one-strike policy naman ang PNP (The PNP has a one-strike policy). Bakit sa mga kaso ng illegal gambling, lewd shows, pati sa mga patupada, one-strike – automatic na relieved, pero dito sa mismong atake sa ating demokrasya – ang pagpatay sa ating mga halal na opisyal, walang one-strike? (Why is it that there is a automatic relief of PNP officers on cases of illegal gambling, lewd shows, illegal cockfighting but there is no such policy when our democracy is at a stake- the killing of our elective officials?), he asked.
Revilla said officials where gruesome acts of violence are carried should immediately be relieved from their posts, be made accountable, and depending on the facts in each case, should be penalized for their failures.
The PNP must conduct a swift yet thorough cleansing of their ranks to eliminate rogue members who may have turned blind eyes or may be involved in illegal activities, he added.
“Ang mga pagpaslang na ito… ang brutal na pagdanak ng dugo sa walang saysay na angas-angasan, ay direktang pambabalasubas sa umiiral na batas sa ating bayan, at isang malaking sampal sa ating demokrasiya (These killings - the brutal bloodletting that is beyond reason is a direct affront to our laws and a slap on our democracy). The fear that it sows in our people threatens our democracy at its very core. And the fact that they seem unbridled speak much of how the PNP seems to be failing,” he explained.
“Kaya kailangan itong one-strike policy (That is why we need a one-strike policy),’’ he stressed.
The movie actor-senator emphasized that he has not lost faith in the police.