186 local officials stripped of police powers

A total of 186 local government officials – eight governors and 178 mayors, some with suspected links to illegal drugs and other forms of misconduct – have been stripped of their powers to supervise the local police since President Duterte took office, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said yesterday.

DILG officer-in-charge Eduardo Año said among the reasons for their losing authority over the police are the officials’ alleged involvement in the illegal drugs trade, failure to stop acts of terrorism and support for terrorist groups.

Año said eight of the officials are governors while the rest are city or town mayors. He did not disclose how many are reportedly involved in illegal drugs.

“By offering the public mechanisms to report complaints, such as Hotline 8888 and the Office of the President itself, we were able to investigate and file cases against local officials alleged to be abusive or not performing their job in accordance with their mandate,” said Año in a statement.

Under Republic Act 8551 or the PNP Reform and Reor- ganization Act, local officials can be stripped of their police supervision for frequent unauthorized absences, abuse of authority, providing material support to criminals and engaging in acts inimical to national security or which negate the effectiveness of the peace and order campaign.

Four local officials were assassinated since last week, including mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan City, Batangas who was stripped of police powers for his alleged involvement in the drug trade.

Aside from those stripped of police powers, 156 other local officials were suspended and dismissed for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, neglect of duty, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, abuse of authority and other activities.