Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), has ordered the creation of a special task force that will run after retired and active policemen, including two retired police generals, who are covered by an arrest warrant issued by a Manila regional trial court in relation to the alleged cover-up in the confiscation of around P6.7 billion worth of shabu in 2022.
Marbil tasked Police Lt. Gen. Edgar Alan O. Okubo, the PNP’s Chief of Directorial Staff, to lead the creation of a dedicated task force in order to comply with the arrest warrant.
“We assure the public that justice will be served. Those responsible for tarnishing the PNP’s reputation will be held accountable both criminally and administratively,” said Marbil.
Of the 30 people named in the arrest warrant issued by Judge Gwyn Calina, of Manila RTC Branch 44, 22 of them are still in active police service, two are retired, three opted for early retirement and another one has already resigned from the service.
The two retired generals are Benjamin delos Santos, former PNP’s number three man as Deputy Chief for Operations, and Narciso Domingo, then head of the PNP-Drug Enforcement Group.
Before the issuance of the arrest warrant on Tuesday, Jan. 14, Marbil has already issued an order placing the 22 active policemen involved in the case to be placed under restrictive custody.
The tracker teams will run after those who have already retired or resigned, or even the active policemen who would defy the order to be under restrictive custody.
Background
The case stemmed from a police operation in October 2022 when PDEG operatives arrested a drug pusher in a buy-bust. The arrested drug pusher later led the anti-narcotics cops to the Wealth and Personal Development Lending Inc. in Sta. Cruz, Manila where 990 kilos of shabu were recovered.
The establishment was found later to be owned by Police Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo, Jr. who was then assigned to the Metro Manila office of the PDEG as an intelligence officer.
Mayo was later arrested in an operation also in Manila where he also yielded packs of shabu.
But it was the alleged attempt to save Mayo from being arrested which made the case controversial as the police sergeant allegedly promised to lead the PDEG to a warehouse with a large stockpile of shabu.
Mayo was earlier removed from the PDEG after being tagged as a ninja cop but he later returned to the anti-narcotics unit allegedly because of the intervention of a ranking police official.
The case further became controversial when at least two of the operating cops were caught in a CCTV stealing 42 kilos of shabu, woth more than P280 million. The cops involved claimed that it was supposed to be a share to an informant.
Further investigation led to a revelation of an attempt to save Mayo, which was bolstered by a CCTV showing police officials allegedly discussing the matter.
Based on the revelation of then Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, those seen in the footage were Delos Santos; Domingo; Col. Julian Olonan, chief of PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) Special Operations Unit (SOU) Region 4A; Capt. Jonathan Sosongco, head of the PDEG SOU 4A arresting team; Lt. Col. Arnulfo Ibañez, OIC of PDEG SOU National Capital Region (NCR); Maj. Michael Angelo Salmingo, deputy of PDEG SOU NCR; Lt. Col. Glenn Gonzales of Quezon City Police District; Lt. Ashrap Amerol, intelligence officer of PDEG Intelligence and Foreign Liaison Division; and Captain Randolph Piñon, chief of PDEG SOU 4A Intelligence Section.
All of them were charged and were named in the arrest warrant issued by the court on Tuesday.
The Mayo case led to a mass resignation challenge of Abalos which was complied with by almost all senior PNP officers.
No mercy
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Jan. 15, Marbil said he already issued a directive to ensure accountability for all involved personnel.
“There will be no mercy when it comes to wrongdoings committed by our personnel. This decisive action demonstrates our commitment to eradicating corruption and maintaining public trust in the PNP,” said Marbil.
He said administrative cases will be pursued to hold active personnel accountable, ensuring they face appropriate sanctions, including dismissal, and are made to answer for their actions under the full extent of the law.
“This initiative underscores the PNP’s unwavering commitment to its zero-tolerance policy against illegal activities while ensuring accountability, justice, and adherence to due process,” said Marbil.
“We assure the public that justice will be served. Those responsible for tarnishing the PNP’s reputation will be held accountable both criminally and administratively,” he added.