Taguig police chief sacked

MANILA, Philippines — Taguig City police chief Col. Joey Goforth has been placed on “administrative relief” while authorities investigate the warrantless search by police at a home in Barangay Tipas, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said yesterday.

“Administrative relief while the investigation is ongoing,” NCRPO spokesperson Maj. Hazel Asilo confirmed to The STAR when asked about the status of Goforth.

Asilo added that the relief “has no definite timeline.”

Goforth, who assumed office in November 2024, was dragged into the mess involving seven of his subordinates who forcibly entered the home of an elderly woman and two teenagers without a search warrant.

The seven, along with two reinforcement officers and the Taguig police sub-station 5 commander, were relieved for “abuse of authority.”

Closed-circuit television footage of the incident went viral on social media and earned the ire of netizens.

Metro Manila police director Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin said over dzBB that all other personnel of sub-station 5 were reassigned to other posts.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil ordered his commanders to strictly adhere to operational procedures and ethical standards of the PNP as he vowed to hold accountable the officers involved in the Taguig operation, emphasizing that anyone found guilty of misconduct would be punished.

“Actions that violate police operational procedures and the rights of our citizens will not be tolerated, and appropriate sanctions will be imposed,” Marbil said.

He assured the public of an impartial investigation of the incident, and that administrative and criminal cases would be pursued.

Marbil said the investigation is not just about accountability but also reinforcing the public’s trust in the police force.

“As law enforcers, we are duty-bound to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of every individual,” he said. — Emmanuel Tupas