Those who declared that "ninja cops" are again having a good day must reveal the names of the police officers instead of engaging in a general statement that drags down the entire police organization, Philippine National Police (PNP) Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr. said.
Azurin made the statement amid another controversy that hit the PNP's illegal drugs campaign, particularly the involvement of an anti-narcotics operative who was tagged as connected to the 990 kilos of shabu seized in Sta. Ana, Manila in October last year.
"Let's be fair and put a stop to these malicious and baseless innuendos. Instead of helping the PNP, they are just distracting us by accusing our officers of involvement," said Azurin.
"Why don't they just name names so that we could directly deal with them, instead of the PNP. It's always the PNP (which is affected)," he added.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos asked on Wednesday, Jan. 4, all full colonels and generals, or third level officers, to submit courtesy resignation amid the ninja cops, or policemen involved in the recycling of confiscated illegal drugs, controversy.
Azurin and three other highest ranking PNP officers already complied with Abalos' appeal. Azurin also urged the over 950 third level officers to do the same.
During the press briefing at Camp Crame, Azurin could not help but blurt out his frustrations on the allegations of resurgence of ninja cops: "They have been saying that ninja cops have returned as if nothing was done to address the problem, as if the internal cleansing that the PNP did was all moro-moro (scripted play)."
"This must stop. That's why we must subject ourselves to evaluation and assessment so that if you are cleared, then there will be no more bad perception," he added.
All the courtesy resignation will be accepted by the Committee of Five, composed of people picked by the Office of the President. The Committee will then make evaluation and assessment of the officers.
Officers who would submit the courtesy resignation will remain on their posts unless their resignation is accepted by the Committee. Those whose resignations would be accepted would be forced to retire.
In defending the logic behind the submission of courtesy resignation, Azurin argued that it is a systematic but radical approach that offers a clean slate for the PNP once it is completed.
What he wants to prevent, according to Azurin, was the repeat of an incident in the past wherein the five generals who were publicly named as involved in illegal drugs never had the chance to clear their names because there were no actual charges leveled against them.
As a result, the career of the five generals were affected and their families also suffered from the allegations, according to Azurin.