At least nine officers and personnel of the Special Action Force (SAF) are now being investigated for possible connivance after two police commandos were caught providing security services to a foreigner who was found to be an official of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO).
The two SAF commandos were earlier arrested for causing trouble inside a village in Ayala, Alabang when they engaged in a fist fight. They were identified as Police Corporal George Rojo Mabuti and Patrolman Roger Ramos Valdez, both assigned in Mindanao.
Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), emphasized that providing security for outsiders of the police force is not in the job description of SAF, the elite force of the national police.
“They cannot provide security. The only unit of the PNP that can give you security is the PSPG (Police Security and Protection Group). Other units are prohibited from doing it, especially SAF,” said Marbil.
After the arrest of Mabuti and Valdez, it was found out that they were supposed to be in Mindanao for police duty.
Marbil explained that daily accounting of personnel is a protocol in the PNP and their presence in Metro Manila when they were supposed to be with their units in Mindanao means that there was connivance.
“It’s not possible that you will not be accounted for because we account for our personnel on a daily basis. So it is not impossible that they could do it on their own. So we will make sure that those who connive with them will suffer and they will get the consequences of their action,” said Marbil.
So far, at least nine people were already sacked and are subject of the investigation. They include the battalion commander of the SAF unit where the two commandos are assigned, at least two company commanders, the First Sergeant and other SAF personnel in the unit responsible for accounting of the personnel.
They are being investigated for grave irregularity in the performance of duty.
Mabuti and Valdez are now detained and were already slapped with appropriate criminal charges. A separate investigation for administrative cases is being conducted.