The Philippine National Police (PNP) is now preparing a string of criminal and administrative charges against a Quezon City policeman who allegedly attacked President Marcos and top police officials in his vlogs in connection with the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte. 

PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said the charges are in addition to the criminal case of inciting to sedition that was filed by the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) against Patrolman Francis Steve T. Fontillas on Monday, March 17, due to the series of posts he made since the arrest of Duterte last week. 

“He made statements recently and these are now being documented by the ACG (Anti-Cybercrime Group) for purposes of other criminal and administrative charges,” said Fajardo.

Both the QCPD and the National Police Commission are also preparing administrative charges, the former was in relation to Fontillas’ repeated disregard of the instruction for him to report to Camp Karingal while the latter was in violation of existing policies and guidelines on social media use of those in the police service. 

Fajardo said the additional administrative charges being prepared include the attacks made by Fontillas against PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil and Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre, the head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) who facilitated the arrest of Duterte.

The maximum penalty for serious administrative charges is dismissal from the police service. 

‘Mood swings’

Even before Fontillas took the attention of the netizens over his rants on the arrest of Duterte, Fajardo said a background check revealed that the police officer appeared to be suffering from “mood swings”.

“He was already directed to undergo a neuro-psychiatric examination and this was not the first time because he had previous records of mood swings as early as 2023,” said Fajardo.

She added that Fontillas underwent medication before to address his “mood swings”.

Such behavior of Fontillas on his social media, according to Fajardo, may have something to do with the “mood swing” problems he has been suffering from. 

She said they are just waiting for the issuance of an order in relation to Fontillas’ repeated refusal to report to duty before he would be disarmed. 

“Because of that unusual behavior and change in demeanor of this policeman, he would be disarmed and he may be subjected to restrictive custody,” said Fajardo.

Zero tolerance

In a statement, Marbil reaffirmed the PNP’s strict adherence to neutrality.

"The PNP is a pillar of law and order, not a platform for personal or political agendas. Let this serve as a warning—any police officer who undermines our core values of integrity, service, and professionalism will face the full force of the law. We will never allow partisan influence to erode public trust in the PNP,” said Marbil. 

“The PNP underscores its zero tolerance for political bias among its ranks. All personnel are reminded to remain apolitical and uphold the highest ethical standards, both in their official duties and in their personal conduct, including their presence on social media,” he added.