PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief, General Debold M. Sinas yesterday ordered the immediate termination from the service of a police trainee who was arrested inside the Manila City Hall after he was found to be the subject of a warrant of arrest for homicide on Wednesday.
The top cop also ordered the PNP Directorate for Intelligence and the PNP Recruitment Service to investigate how Patrolman Christopher Mercado Alfaro, a 24-year old resident of 881 Geronimo Street, Sampaloc, Manila was able to enter the PNP Maritime Group despite a thorough background investigation being conducted on applicants.
It turned out that around 12 noon Wednesday, a team of Manila Police District warrant officers led by Lieutenant Laureano Larry Daligdig arrested Alfaro inside the Manila City Hall on the strength of a warrant of arrest for homicide issued last January 29 by Judge Jacqueline Martin-Balictar of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 29.
MPD director, Brigadier Gen. Leo M. Francisco said his men discovered that Alfaro is a patrolman undergoing training at the Regional Training Center 2 in Cagayan Valley.
Following the incident, Sinas ordered an investigation into how concerned regional and provincial intelligence officers failed to find out that the suspect is facing a homicide case when they gave him a clearance to apply at the police force.
The PNP chief said he wants to find out who among his intelligence officials failed to really conduct an honest-to-goodness background investigation on the suspect leading to his entry into the police force.
A record check showed that Alfaro was appointed as a temporary patrolman on September 15, 2020 after passing a medical and mental screening test and given a complete background investigation clearance by the Police Regional Office 3 Regional Intelligence Division on August 10 of the same year.
It turned out that the PNP trainee had a pending criminal case before his appointment leading to his arrest on Wednesday.
As a result, his appointment will be cancelled considering the same is void ab initio pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act 6975 as amended by RA 8551 which created the PNP, said PRS director, Colonel Nora Camarao.
Camarao said they have advised the director of the PNP Maritime Group thru his Recruitment Section to issue a cancellation order on Alfaro’s appointment which will be forwarded by the PRS to the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management and the Civil Service Commission for the official cancellation of the attested appointment of the accused by the CSC.
Camarao told Sinas that as of press time yesterday, they are still extracting the criminal case records of Alfaro amid the refusal of the PNP-MG to issue a cancellation order on Alfaro without subjecting him to termination proceedings.
