'Umayos kayo!' Marbil warns cops vs moonlighting as security escorts of rich, famous
Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), warned all policemen against moonlighting as bodyguards or security escorts of rich and famous individuals.
Marbil emphasized that the loyalty to service of policemen should be dedicated to the Filipinos and not to those who could afford to shell out huge sum of money to secure them.
“Our duty is to ensure the safety of our citizens. Police must be available at all times to address the needs and concerns of the public. By prohibiting moonlighting, we are reinforcing our commitment to quick and efficient response to any situation,” Marbil said.
Marbil issued the statement as he recently ordered the deployment of at least 85 percent of policemen to the streets and communities in order to maximize police presence, especially in ensuring prompt response to citizens’ complaints and emergencies.
Earlier, a handful of policemen were relieved and charged after they were caught escorting private individuals, the worst is that some of them used police vehicles in their moonlighting activities.
Marbil explained that the presence of policemen on the ground gives assurance to the citizens in terms of peace of mind against criminal elements.
“If you look right now, there are plenty of policemen on the ground. It doesn’t matter if they have guns, what we need is that they are there on the ground so that their response to any emergency call is quick,” said Marbil.
“We need to download as many policemen on the ground because that itself is crime prevention,” he added.