Any of 3 police chief contenders OK — DILG exec

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte can’t go wrong if he chooses among the three police officials recommended to him as the next chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), according to an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

DILG spokesman Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said the  three contenders for the post are all qualified and have been vetted to ensure their records are clear.

Malaya was referring to PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa, deputy chief for operations Lt. Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan and chief of directorial staff Lt. Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar.

“We conducted a background investigation. The President will do no wrong if he chooses from the list,” Malaya said.

The DILG spokesman vouched  for the experience and integrity of the three candidates. He cited Gamboa as an example, who, aside from being a policeman, is also a lawyer.

Gamboa spearheaded the peaceful conduct of the May 2019 midterm elections as security task force commander.

“Hindi mo rin matatawaran ’yung experience nina Cascolan and Eleazar (You also cannot put a price on the experience of Cascolan and Eleazar),” he said.

Cascolan is co-author of Oplan Double Barrel, the government’s flagship program against illegal drugs.

Eleazar, on the other hand, implemented Duterte’s anti-drug campaign in Metro Manila when he was director of the National Capital Region Police Office for nearly two years.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año submitted the names of the three most senior police officers to replace former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, who went on non-duty status two weeks before he reached the mandatory retirement age of 56 last November due to allegations of involvement in the illegal drug trade, specifically protecting “ninja cops” or policemen reselling confiscated prohibited drugs.

Año said Duterte’s disappointment over the “ninja cops” issue remains the primary reason why he is still unable to choose the country’s next police chief.

“He has given everything to the PNP, including doubling the salary of police officers and yet there are still policemen doing this,” Año added.