Albayalde relieves 3 intel chiefs over ACT project

Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde yesterday relieved three local police intelligence chiefs over an alleged confidential directive purportedly ordering the profiling of all members of the Alliance Concerned Teachers (ACT).

But Albayalde denied issuing such order to the intelligence community.

“As far as I am concerned, I have not signed anything like that at nung mag-leak yan, I have already ordered for all intelligence officers involved to be relieved,” Albayalde told reporters in a press briefing at Camp Crame.

Those relieved from their posts were the intel chiefs of Manila Police Station 3, Quezon City Police Station 6, and the Zambales Provincial Police Office.

Albayalde surmised the

instruction might have come from the Directorate for Intelligence (DI) since it could issue such order to local intelligence units.

“I will look into that but they are relieved pending investigation,” said Albayalde.

Pressed on why he had ordered the relief if no such order came from his office, Albayalde explained that it was due to sloppy work of intelligence chiefs that led to the memo’s purported leak.

“If you are an intelligence officer hindi mo dapat ganun nagle-leak yung mga ginagawa mo. Kaya nga intel officer, if really merong utos na ganun hindi ba and especially so that we are creating an unnecessary panic ng mga tao na ito kung naintimidate sila,” said Albayalde.

“You have to do your job discreetly,” he added.

Memo leaked

The source of irritation is a January 4 memorandum on the “Inventory of All Public and Private School Teachers who are members of, or aligned with, Alliance Of Concerned Teachers (ACT)” that purportedly came from MPD Station 3, quoting an earlier memo from the Regional Intelligence Chief of Metro Manila police as the basis.

The January 24 memo has been circulating in social media.

Albayalde, however, stressed that it was not a profiling but part of the intelligence monitoring activities of the police.

“This is not profiling. It has been part of our intelligence monitoring. It does not mean that if you are subjected to profiling, you are already a member,” said Albayalde.

Leaders of ACT raised safety concerns on the supposed PNP memo. Yesterday, some of its members conducted a protest action in front of Camp Crame.

But Albayalde said that ACT members have nothing to be afraid of if they are not doing anything illegal. Instead, ACT members, he said should be proud they are members of the group.

“The question is, why are you afraid if you are a member of ACT? If you are not violating any law, why be afraid,” said Albayalde.

The official later said that they are currently monitoring groups affiliated with communist rebels.

“Remember, there are pronouncements coming from the CPP-NDF (Communist Party of the PhilippinesNational Democratic Front) that they have front organizations. This did not come from us or me or even from the military,” said Albayalde.

The PNP chief cited a video uploaded on You Tube, where CPP founder Joma Sison reportedly identified ACT as one of their front organizations.

“So this is for departmental use, to ensure that this organization is legitimate, that his group is not doing something illegal like supporting armed rebellion,” said Albayalde.

Endorsements recalled

Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday ordered the recall of two endorsements by DepEd Schools Division Offices (SDO) in relation to an unnumbered memorandum from the PNP, directing the inventory of teachers who are members of ACT.

In an official statement, DepEd said that it received communication from a representative of the ACT raising concern over the SDO endorsements.

“Based on available information, it is noted that the DepEd Central Office has not received any such request from the PNP,” DepEd said. “It is confirmed though that a letter addressed to school heads was issued by one SDO through an Acting Division Superintendent, forwarding a purported Memorandum from a PNP unit,” DepEd added.

In consultation with the concerned Regional Office, DepEd said the “recall of this forwarding letter has been directed.”

“Initial feedback from the field shows that there is no other similar forwarding letter which has been issued by any other DepEd local unit,” DepEd added.

The agency stressed that should any inter-agency request for personal information of individuals, “such request shall be evaluated based on existing laws and regulations, including the Data Privacy Act.”

In an advisory dated January 4, 2019 issued by DepEd National Capital Region (NCR) Assistant Schools Division Superintendent and Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Sheryll Gayola, all public and private elementary and secondary school in Division of City Schools – Manila were given a copy of an unnumbered memorandum dated December 26, 2018 signed by Rexson Layug, Police Chief Inspector, Chief of Intelligence Branch regarding the “inventory of all public and private teachers who are members” of ACT.

Undersecretary and Spokesperson Annalyn Sevilla said the DepEd Central

Office is “looking into the matter” at the Secretary level. The CO, she added, is also waiting for “verification from regional offices and legal team.”

Intimidating

Meanwhile, the ACT strongly condemned the move calling it a “scheme to intimidate and harass” its members.

In a statement, ACT decried the recent move of the PNP to “profile” all public and private school teachers who are members of the ACT. The group alleged that the PNP are also currently making the rounds in schools and offices of the DepEd “to press” education officials for an inventory of all ACT members under their jurisdiction.

“The operations appear to be of a

nationwide scale and points to the top PNP leadership as the foremost source of the order as we received similar reports from our members in Manila, Malabon, Las Pinas, Zambales, Bulacan, Rizal, Mindoro, Sorsogon, Agusan Del Sur, among others,” the group added.

For ACT, the move is “grossly illegal and unconstitutional attack on our collective right to free expression and right to self-organization.”

The PNP’s “concerted national scheme to single out” ACT and extract a list of all its members from principals and other school officials is a “clear violation of the constitutional right to self organization, freedom of expression and assembly, and right to privacy.”