(Eagle News)–Senator Panfilo Lacson on Monday, Oct. 14, said he has “mixed emotions” about Oscar Albayalde resigning as Philippine National Police chief.
According to Lacson, Albayalde’s statements prior to his formal announcement to relinquish command of the 190,000-strong police force “have somehow diminished the redeeming value of his intent to spare the PNP from the so-called ‘ninja cops’ controversies.”
Lacson said as a Philippine Military Academy graduate, he “feels sad whenever fellow Peemayers slug it out publicly over issues that hit the very core of the unique and exclusive cadet honor system which has nurtured us for four arduous years to prepare ourselves to resist the moral challenges and temptations once we step out of the Academy.”
“The Code simply says: ‘A cadet does not lie, cheat or steal nor tolerate those who do.’ While many choose to adhere to the Code albeit not in the same rigid, exacting manner, still, quite a number have opted to fall out of the ‘long grey line’ sooner or later in their career. Worse, they have disregarded the Code as if they never learned and practiced it in the first place. Or, maybe they never did; they just simply got away and graduated,” he said.
According to Lacson, he does not mean to “cast judgment on Gen. Albayalde’s character with the preceding statement.”
He said he only wishes to “reiterate the sad reality that many PMA graduates have been eaten by the corrupt and corrupting system of law enforcement.”
“Having said that, Mayor Benjamin Magalong and retired Gen. Manuel Gaerlan and the others who testified in our committee hearings to spill the beans on Baloyo et al which led to Gen. Albayalde’s possible complicity after the fact deserve all the salute and commendations from our fellow cavaliers and the Filipino people for doing their part not to ‘tolerate those among us Peemayers who violated the honor code,'” Lacson said.
He said the ” old phrase – ‘the long arm of the law’ – has its way of catching up with criminal offenders.”
“Let that be a reminder to the likes of Baloyo and his cohorts,” he said, referring to Rodney Baloyo, who, together with 12 policemen, were ordered dismissed over the 2013 raid in Mexico, Pampanga which the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group found to be irregular.
Baloyo and his group, however, were merely demoted.
