PRO-18 recommends relief of 8 cops due to drug links

Police Regional Office-18 (Negros Island Region) Director Chief Superintendent Renato Gumban had recommended for the relief of eight police officers from the region due to their alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Gumban issued the statement while in Dumaguete City for the Regional Peace and Order Council meeting presided by Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.

The eight police officers are with the rank of superintendents and chief inspectors, Gumban said. He believed that without their presence in the NIR, a lot of police officers—from police officers 1 to senior police officers 4, including senior inspectors and inspectors—will voluntary surrender because their leader cannot anymore orchestrate in the distribution of illegal drugs.

Gumban further said the names of the eight police officers in NIR have undergone thorough validation by Camp Crame including the different intelligence units. They are either users, pushers or protectors.

Once relieved, a reshuffling of chiefs of police is expected in Region 18, Gumban said. However, on names of narco politicians, Gumban said a lot of names were listed in a white paper but through analysis would point to political motivation so far.

Gumban reiterated a warning for police officers who are into illegal drugs not to wait for the ax to fall on their heads. They have the option to file their early retirement so they can still have their pay and benefits with them, while the validation is still going on, he said.

“Don’t wait for the cases to be filed and you will get nothing from your long years of service with the PNP. This is not a joke,” he said referring to the policemen.

Gumban said that, for policemen who enriched themselves in the service through illegal means, its payback time for them.

He also gave his personal cellphone number to the public to text him the names of police offices or civilians who are involved in illegal drugs activity, pushing, using or protecting drug personalities. Anybody can text him in his personal number 09188001985 and he will record the texter as his agent, he said.

Already, in Negros Occidental, Gumban has 23 agents but only 15 of them texted a positive information which resulted in the arrest of at least 25 individuals during the conduct of anti-illegal drugs operation. He further enjoined chiefs of police to do the same.