Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has ordered the dismissal from service of 398 police officers for involvement in illegal drug activities and crimes such as murder and rape.

“As the father of the organization, my heart bleeds when I sign dismissal orders for delinquent policemen. It’s a tough decision, but it had to be done for the sake of the organization,” Dela Rosa said in a statement on Wednesday.

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According to the PNP Public Information Office, of the 398 dismissed officers, 151 were found positive for drug use while 16 were involved in drug-related activities. Of the number, 91 others were dismissed for being absent without official leave (AWOL); 10 for kidnapping; 22 for murder; six for homicide; three for rape; two for parricide; and three for illegal arrest and detention.

Twenty-three others were dismissed for involvement in robbery and extortion; one for graft and malversation; and 70 others for grave misconduct due to immorality, dishonesty, estafa, and violation of Batas Pambansa 22 or the Bouncing Checks Law, the PIO added.

Dela Rosa also ordered the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM) to impose disciplinary actions on 1,216 other erring police officers.

The disciplinary penalties include demotion, suspension, reprimand, restriction, and salary forfeitures.

DPRM records showed that the erring police personnel were involved in various administrative cases from 2016 to 2018 under the PNP Comprehensive Internal Disciplinary Mechanism. /muf

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