PNP Region 8 conducts internal cleansing

PALO, Leyte, July 18 (PNA) –- The Philippine National Police (PNP) is stepping up its internal cleansing efforts through the conduct of counter-intelligence operations to personnel who are engaged in unlawful activities, continuous conduct of drug testing, and filing of appropriate charges against those who will be found positive.

Chief Superintendent Elmer Beltejar, acting PNP Eastern Visayas regional director, has been conducting surprise visits and random drug testing to all provincial police offices down to municipal police stations personnel.

The PNP has created an internal cleansing committee at the national headquarters to spearhead the strong drive to weed out “scalawags” or rogue cops in the organization.

This internal cleansing includes the arrest and prosecution of PNP personnel involved in unlawful activities such as, but not limited to, illegal arrest, illegal detention, case fixing, recycling of confiscated drugs, bungling of drug cases, or acting as protectors, coddlers and financers of drug personalities.

Likewise, part of the internal cleansing is the continuous drug testing to all personnel nationwide through the PNP crime laboratory as stipulated in Republic Act 9165, Section 36.

As a PNP policy, if found positive during the screening test, PNP personnel have the right to challenge the result within 15 days upon receipt of the result through a confirmatory test conducted by any of the drug testing laboratories accredited and monitored by the Department of health (DOH) or by the National Reference Laboratory (NRL).

Furthermore, if the drug test yields positive without being challenged, a mandatory confirmatory test shall be conducted by the PNP crime laboratory within five days after the lapse of the prescribed period to challenge the result.

If found positive after the confirmatory test, the same will serve as the basis for filing appropriate charges against the person and/or shall be subject to dismissal from police service.

The PNP can only accommodate its personnel for the conduct of drug tests, said Beltejar. Thus, local chief executives are encouraged to request for a conduct of drug test in their area through authorized government forensic laboratory or any DOH-accredited drug testing laboratories.

Likewise, the police regional office encourages the public to support the fight against illegal drugs for it is everybody’s concern, to cooperate and be vigilant, by way of providing relevant and timely information with regards to drug-related activities. (PNA)
SQM/PR/EGR