WEDNESDAV OCTOBER 16,20r.
9 I
MAGALONG WA RNS: 13'NINJA COPS'
COUTD END UP DEAD
Bv Francisco Tuvay
a'nd MaricelV. Crlz
WITH the resignation olthen Philippine
National Police chief Oscar Albayalde,
the 13 policemen under.him tagged as
"ninja cops" could be in danger, a for-
mer ranking police official said Tiresday.
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Maga-
long, the former commander ofthe PNP's
Criminal Investigation and Detection
Group. said lhe cops should come out in
the open and reveal everything about the
2013 drug bust in Mexico. Pampanga. in
which they allegedly kept 160 kilos of
shabu for reselling.
"I hope that those involved in the 201 3
drug bust in Mexico, Pampanga will fi-
nally realize they're on their- own and I
ol them will start talking.'
hope some
said N4agalong. who spilled the' beans
about the ninja cops during. a Senate
hearins.
He ivarned that theY could end uP
dead, like civilian agents who partici-
pated in that raid. Next poge
Taodr PAg€ |
t\
I
He said the fotner PamPanga
Magalong... cops are likely to be criminally and
admiDistratively charged.
Frcm A7
Also on T\resdaY, Puwelsa ng
"They have to mak€ sure that
nothinc haDDens !o them. Because Ba\€nitrs Atleto (PBA) Partylist
Reo. Jericho Nograles said the nin-
ontv oie ii io iait, only lRodneyl
still perform- ja iops controversy highlighted th-e
Bal,ovo. The rest are
need to strengthen the internal at-
ine functions as policemen or float-
ini status.Ifvou lookat the civilian fairs mechanism of the PNP.
Nograles said that under the Pre-
aeints involved, all of them are all
were killed. An- sent set-up, the brotherbood system
aireadv dead, theY
ything can haPPen," he told a TV among members of the PNP has
diminished the integrity of the ex'
intelview
The 13 Dolicemen under AlbaY- isting internal
affai$ seryice amid
allcsations of a cover-up by top po-
alde were reassigned to different
of the wrongdoings of
patts of Luzon, among then Major [c;fficials
Rodney BaloYo. who was Posted rtr
th€il subordinates.
Nosrales said the ongoing sen-
Tagaytay city.
Batoyo is currentlY detained at ate pr-obe on so-called "ninja cops"
the New Bilibid Prisoo after the which tagged Albayalde as a Pro-
Senate found him in contempt for
tector should now compel Coogrcss
to separate the power and authority
lyigg during a hearing on tle ninja
of the internal affairs service from
"oRloorr, revealed that a chi- the sohere of influence of the entire
nese drug lord, Johnson Lee, PNP leadershiP including the di-
was arested following thq sei rector geneml.
In filing House Bi:ll 3065,
zure of the drugs but the Police-
metr set him free in exchange for Nogmles seeks to amend the Re'
public Act 8551 or Philippine Na-
P50 million.
Reorganlza-
At presetrt, Magalong said, tie tional Police Reformto an Inter-
13 niqja coPs will not get any plo- tiotr act of 1998 create
t€ction from any government agen- nal
Affairs Service that is outside
of the PNP chain-of-command.
cy and even from th€ir colleagues
in the PNP. "The Intemal Affairs Service
He said they have one oPtion left, of the PNP is an essential Part of
the disciplinary mecbanism of the
whiah is to apply for witoess Pro-
PNP. It serves as the monitodng
tection.
of the chancter and behavior
Magalong also dismissed AlbaY- body
alde's threat of legal action agalnst of all policemen and oPerates as
the itrvestigating and adjudicatory
him, calling this a smokesareen to
bodv on all administrative offenses
cover his d€ception.
In his t€stimony beforc the Sen- committed
by PNP Personnel,"
had Nograles said in his bill.
at€, Magalong said AlbaYalde
to save the 13 ninja cops 'As the office that oversees the
intervened
from dismissal. co[duct of the uniformed Person-
, PNP OIC Archie Gamboa said nel,
the IAS should be free from
the ninja cops will face other influence, Pressure and interven-
tion ftom the chief PNB and other
charees arising from the switch-
ing ;fdrug suspects and hiding the
hieh-rankins PNP officers in ad-
truth behind the 2013 anti-trarcottcs
juiicating idministrative cases'''
operation.
No$ales said,