THE Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS) was tasked to start the investigation and summary dismissal proceedings against a policeman arrested for involvement in gun-running and illegal sale of motor vehicles.
PNP Chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar gave the order to the PNP-IAS, and identified the policeman as Police Staff Sergeant Michael Salinas, assigned to the Manila Police District (MPD).
Salinas was among the eight people arrested on September 3 for selling firearms and motor vehicles with spurious documents in Paranaque City.
PMGen. Vicente Danao, Jr., Director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said that Salinas could be the leader of the group.
“Another policeman was involved and caught doing illegal activities. I will make sure he is kicked out of the service this Police Staff Sgt. Michael Salinas in our effots to cleanse the PNP ranks of abusive, criminal-minded policemen,” said PGen Eleazar.
Since July 2016, more than 5,000 policemen were already dismissed from the service for various grave offenses that include involvement in illegal drugs and other criminal activities.
PGen Eleazar earlier vowed to purge the PNP of scalawag policemen as part of the Intensified Cleanliness Policy (ICP). Part of the ICP is the quick action on reports of policemen involved in illegal activities, aggressive reform in the recruitment system that removed “padrino” system and effective supervision to ensure that the new recruits would not be involved in illegal activities.
“It is not only the PNP that will benefit in the removal of this kind of policeman but also the general public whom we should serve with utmost honesty and efficiency. I’m sure there are many other Filipinos who are eligible to serve and replace this type of policeman, especially that we have already put in place aggressive reforms in as early as the recruitment stage to make sure that we develop better policemen for the Filipino,” said PGen Eleazar.