Napolcom conducts lifestyle check on ‘narco-generals’

Lifestyle checks are being conducted on the five so-called “narcogenerals” by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) as part of the government’s effort to stop the proliferation of illegal drugs.

Napolcom vice chair and executive officer Rogelio Casurao said Napolcom has started coordinating with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to check on the lifestyle of the five police generals.

“We already sought the cooperation of AMLC regarding the lifestyle check, checking on their salaries and what are they having now,” Casurao said.

“If they find something wrong between his capability and what they have now, we can use that in our analysis. We can use the discrepancies, we are investigating all these wealth,” he added.

Casurao earlier announced two of the five police generals named by President Duterte as being involved in the illegal drug trade would be facing administrative charges from the Napolcom.

Casurao said the police commission found probable cause in filing administrative charges against Director Joel Pagdilao and Chief Supt. Edgardo Tinio.

Pagdilao was former chief of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) while Tinio served as director of the Quezon City Police District.

Pagdilao and Tinio were among the five so- called narco generals named by Duterte as alleged protectors of illegal drug operations in the country.

The three others are former Western Visayas Region director Chief Supt. Bernardo Diaz, retired deputy director general Marcelo Garbo Jr. and retired police general and now Daanbantayan, Cebu Mayor Vicente Loot.

Casurao said the Na- polcom is seeking clearance from the President to proceed with the sumduty mary dismissal proceedings since Pagdilao and Tinio are considered presidential appointees.

He said Napolcom has enough evidence to pursue administrative cases against Pagdilao and Tinio.

“On our part we have more than enough evidence, in fact, substantial evidence to hold them for further administrative proceedings… in a few days we will be sending information to the respondents for them to be able to answer the formal charges,” he added.

Casurao explained that charges of serious neglect of indicated the officer did nothing to address the menace.

He added that the cases could stand in court. “These are evidence from which you can derive some conclusions,” he said.