MANILA: Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr (pic) ordered the agency to investigate a police master sergeant who allegedly served as a private security personnel for a Chinese fugitive caught in Makati City.
“The Southern Police District (SPD) will be asking the immediate supervisor to explain,” PNP spokesperson Brig Gen Randulf Tuano told reporters in Camp Crame on Friday (March 27).
“The SPD will see if the immediate supervisor’s reason is enough to explain how the said individual was able to render unauthorised police security protection to the said individual,” he added.
Tuano explained that only the PNP chief, through the Police Security and Protection Group, may authorize police officers to serve as police security personnel.
The Chinese fugitive, for whom the police master sergeant was allegedly moonlighting, was caught by operatives of the Bureau of Immigration at the foreigner’s home in Barangay Bel-Air on Wednesday night for alleged links to telecommunications scams abroad.
Tuano noted that the police master sergeant accused of moonlighting was among a group of nine police officers previously assigned to the Pasay City Police Station, but were placed under restrictive custody after a detainee had died of asphyxia while in their custody last August.
The nine officers have since been assigned to the SPD Headquarters Support Unit, according to the PNP spokesperson.
In a statement later on Friday, Nartatez said he was concerned by the moonlighting allegations against the police master sergeant.
“This is a clear betrayal of public trust if proven. We will not tolerate any police officer involved in criminal activities,” the PNP chief said.
“Let this be a warning. The Philippine National Police has no room for those engaged in illegal activities. Serve with integrity or face the consequences,” he added. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
