By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – The Internal Affairs Service (IAS), a watchdog agency of the Philippine National Police (PNP), has started the pre-charge investigation into the administrative complaints filed against Quezon City Police District’s (QCPD) four members.
IAS Inspector General Brigido Dulay made the announcement on Wednesday, a day after QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit chief Maj. Dondon Llapitan along with the jailer and desk officer, were relieved from their post for allegedly bringing a female detainee to a hotel without authorization.
Dulay said the IAS is also investigating S/Sgt. Colonel Jordan Marzan of QCPD for barging into the house of the complainant in Barangay Damayan in Quezon City early Monday.
The alleged drunk police officer confronted and accused the complainant of wrongdoing, which resulted in an altercation. The cop also apparently inflicted physical injuries on the victim’s minor daughter.
The incident was captured on video, which went viral after it was uploaded on social media.
Dulay said formal charges will be filed against the four cops within five to seven days, and then the summary hearings will commence.
“Usually yan pinagbibigyan namin yung mga respondents, mga nasakdal ng panahon na sumagot kasi due process naman ito anywhere between 60 to 90 days yan (Usually, we give the respondents, the defendants, time to respond because it’s a due process, anywhere between 60 to 90 days),” he said in a media interview.
The hearings will then be followed by the IAS’s recommendation to the Office of the Chief PNP, depending on the outcome of the investigation.
“Ang pinakamabigat naman lagi (The heaviest [penalty] is always) dismissal because dismissal in the police force as well as in the civil service dismissal carries with it forfeiture of all the benefits,” Dulay said.
The respondents, if found guilty, will also face perpetual disqualification from government service, he added.
He said around 674 complaints have been filed against erring cops in the first quarter of 2025, adding that these are only isolated cases and do not reflect the 228,000 police force.
Dulay said the number of complaints only highlights the PNP leadership’s commitment to internal accountability and the growing confidence of the public in filing reports, especially with the widespread use of mobile phone cameras as tools for documentation and evidence.
Data from IAS shows that 1,897 complaints were filed in 2023, rising to 2,073 in 2024.
He said the figures should not be seen as the manifestation of the PNP’s overall performance.
“It’s around 1 percent of the total workforce only. The 99 percent is actually dedicated policemen, nagta-trabaho (working),” he said. “We will go after the 1 percent every day, every week, every month, and every year. We will try to go after the 1 percent.
Meanwhile, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Director Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said Pat. Jerald Sampaga, who is assigned to the CIDG logistics section, was relieved for firing his firearms while visiting his girlfriend in Santo Niño, Cagayan on Tuesday.
Torre said Sampaga was reassigned to the CIDG headquarters while being investigated for alarm and scandal charges.
“Let this serve as a warning to all CIDG members, there will be zero tolerance to all of you who will commit even the slightest infraction of ordinance, to violations of laws, and commission of crimes,” he said.
In a radio interview on Wednesday, National Police Commission (Napolcom) commissioner Rafael Calinisan said they will look into the root causes of such erring behavior within the PNP.
“National Police Commission is looking into yung pinaka-root cause nito baka may problema tayo sa recruitment (the root cause of this, maybe we have a problem with recruitment),” he said. (PNA)
