MANILA, Philippines — The National Police Commission (Napolcom) may remove 200 policemen from the service for cheating in their entrance examination.

Eight out of 10 applicants flunked the entrance examination for the Philippine National Police (PNP) last year.

Napolcom vice chairman Rogelio Casurao said more than 200 policemen who took the examination had exactly the same right and wrong answers.

“More than 200 itong na-discover namin na may statistical improbability na tinatawag na kung bakit pare-pareho ang maling answers, pare-pareho ang correct answers (We’ve discovered more than 200 exams that have what we call statistical improbability, where the wrong answers and the correct answers are exactly the same,” Casurao said in an interview over radio station dzMM. “We issued a circular voiding their eligibility.”

Casurao added that as part of their effort to cleanse the police organization, the Napolcom has also been checking papers of policemen following reports that some PNP personnel used falsified documents when they entered the police service.

“Ngayon, ang dami naming nahuhuli na after serving the PNP for 10 years, 15 years, nadidiskubre namin na after all, lahat pala ng papeles na isinubmit ay mga peke (Now, we’ve caught many who, after serving the PNP for 10 years, 15 years, would be discovered to have submitted fake documents),” he said.

Casurao said the Napolcom has started working on periodic audits, neurological tests and retraining for policemen to ensure they are fit for public service.

The Napolcom said 18.01 percent or 2,600 out of the 14,439 examinees passed the PNP entrance exam conducted nationwide.

The commission said the low passing rate in the exams may be attributed to its continuous upgrading of standards of its police examinations as part of the sustained effort to professionalize the PNP.

Napolcom ensures that only the best and the most qualified individuals are promoted in the service.