A MEMBER of the Pasay City Police Station who tested positive for substance abuse last week became the 19th personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who faces dismissal from the service this year for use of shabu in full violation of the law and PNP rules and regulations, PNP chief, General Debold M. Sinas said yesterday.
Corporal Eman Chris Mantaring’s urine sample tested positive for shabu during an initial screening test and a subsequent confirmatory test conducted by the PNP Crime Laboratory.
The PNP chief has ordered National Capital Region Police Office director, Major Gen. Vicente D. Danao Jr. to subject the erring policeman to a summary dismissal proceeding.
The policeman was among the 20 personnel of the Pasay City Police Station Drug Enforcement Unit who were subjected to a drug test by the Southern Police District (SPD) Crime Laboratory Office last February 15, said Maj. Gen. Danao.
All 20 but Mantaring tested negative for drugs.
Shortly after he was tested positive for substance abuse, Mantaring was stripped of his PNP-issued firearm and was assigned to the NCRPO Regional Personnel Holding and Administrative Section, said SPD director, Brigadier Gen. Eliseo DC Cruz.
Sinas said he wants the summary dismissal proceedings on the drug-using policemen finished by the NCRPO within two months.
“Let us continue our intelligence-driven random drug test on our personnel to identify and dismiss from the service those who are using illegal drugs,” the PNP chief told Danao and all other 16 police regional directors.
Sinas earlier said that 18 policemen who had tested positive for substance abuse since the start of the year will be dismissed from the service soon as he gave concerned PNP Regional Directors a maximum of two months to resolve the cases of the erring cops.
According to PNP Crime Laboratory director, Brig. Gen. Steve B. Ludan, the 18 policemen who tested positive either for shabu or marijuana use include two from the PNP National Headquarters in Camp Crame, three from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) ; two from the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3); one each from PRO4-A, PRO7 and PRO13 and four from the Bangsamoro Administrative Region Police Regional Office.
Sinas said he has ordered the Regional Directors of NCRPO, PROs 3,4-A,7, 13 and BAR to see to it that the cases of the drug-positive policemen in their areas will be resolved within a two-month period as he has already delegated the authority to fire drug-using policemen to the RDs and not to the PNP Internal Affairs Service.
The PNP chief said the RDs will have the authority to conduct a special summary hearing on their erring members.
“Starting this year, I have signed the order. All drug cases shall be resolved by the RDs immediately and centralized na ang recording. We have procured more drug test kits, lalo na sa Drug Enforcement Units to detect users.
I-resolve agad ng RDs in two-months time, the maximum ang case kasi nandun na ang tao, ang evidence, and prosecution,” Sinas said.
The PNP chief said he issued the order noting that the PNP-IAS in the past has failed ‘miserably’ in doing its job to immediately dismiss drug-using policemen.
He cited the cases of 13 of his men from the PRO7 in Central Visayas who tested positive for shabu when he was still PRO7 director in 2019. “Hanggang ngayon, hinahanap ko pa yung mga yun,” he said.
Sinas said he experienced the same again when he became the NCRPO director and discovered that a number of Metro Manila policemen who were found to be positive for shabu were still receiving their salaries and were even alerted for COVID-19 duties.
“Ang test case ng mga RDs ngayon ay yung 18 na nag-positive sa droga starting this year. Their investigation of the administrative case will be monitored by the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management and the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management. I want them to resolve these cases within a two-month period,” he said.
