Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 4) — Should President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. accept the courtesy resignation of some senior police officials, this will “automatically be considered as their retirement” and would mean they will receive benefits, the country’s police chief told CNN Philippines on Wednesday.
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“They will be entitled to receive their entitlement benefits dahil sabi nga kanina, pinaghirapan nila lahat kung ano man ang narating po nila [because as earlier said, they worked hard for whatever they have achieved],” Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said in an interview on News Night.
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In a text message, he clarified this would also mean resignation from service and not just from their positions.
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Earlier in the day, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. appealed to full colonels and generals of the PNP to submit courtesy resignations from their posts, as the government aims to rid the organization of illegal drug ties. He said this would be a “shortcut” to cleanse the PNP, citing the long judicial process to convict erring officials.
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According to Abalos, the government will form a five-man committee that will review the records of police officials to determine if they are involved in the drug trade. After the evaluation, the decision to accept the courtesy resignation would ultimately lie with Marcos.
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CNN Philippines sought clarification from Azurin if the automatic retirement and issuance of benefits would mean that those found to have links to illegal drugs will be allowed to go scot-free.
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He said if evidence warrants, cases will be filed against concerned officials. However, even with a pending case, they will still get benefits, he added.
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The PNP chief explained there are two kinds of benefits the retired officers could receive: commutation of accrued leave (CAL) which would depend on one’s available leave credits and outright pension which would be given monthly while the case is pending.
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“The individual can receive his monthly pension until he is finally convicted,” Azurin said.
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During the News Night interview, the PNP chief expressed support for Abalos’ call, saying it is also an opportunity for officers to prove their innocence.
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He said he will personally submit his courtesy resignation to Marcos, through Abalos, on Thursday and urged full police colonels and generals — or third-level officers — to do the same.
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“I encourage lahat po ng aming third-level officers to start submitting ‘yung kanilang courtesy resignation so that ma-clear naman natin, ma-clear ng bawat colonel, bawat heneral ang kanilang sarili para nang sa ganoon ay hindi po pinagdududahan ang aming hanay,” he said.
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[Translation: I encourage all our third-level officers to start submitting their courtesy resignation so that all colonels and generals can clear their names to put an end to suspicions against our ranks.]
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Azurin also noted that neither he nor Abalos will be part of the five-man committee that will assess the integrity of police officers.
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He added: “Definitely po everybody will get a chance to face the committee that will assess and evaluate them so that they can expound and explain ‘yun pong mga report po sa kanila [on the reports regarding them].”
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Azurin also confirmed he knows some people within the organization who are allegedly involved in the illicit trade.
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“Kilala po natin sila,” he said. “Unfortunately, sabi ko nga, nangyari is during the past na mga, recent past or yung mga nakaraan po, hindi ho kasi sila sinawata, ‘di ba? Parang tinolerate po…So, I think this is a very right time to start cleansing our ranks.”
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