MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday said there is no need for a loyalty check among police officers as it turned down calls for the establishment of a revolutionary government as a solution to the country’s corruption problem.
“I don’t think there is a need for a loyalty check because it is clear that there is a proper chain of command. We will follow that. We know and respect the rights of our fellow Filipinos to speak their mind outside of the PNP. But we respect the chain of command and we will follow that,” PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo told reporters.
Fajardo said the police force is one with the military and other law enforcement agencies in following the chain of command.
“One the parts of the PNP we will always respect and observe the chain of command. There are constitutional bodies. We will respect the duly constituted authorities and the PNP follows that,” Fajardo said.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government, the PNP’s parent agency, and the Department of National Defense have also rejected calls for a revolutionary government made by retired military officer Antonio Parlade Jr.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said they respect the right to freedom of expression, but stressed that their grievance should have gone through the proper channels.
“We at the Department of Defense denounce the attempt by (retired) Lt. Gen. (Antonio) Parlade to involve the Department, especially the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), in airing his personal grievances and his call for a revolutionary government,” Lorenzana said in a message to reporters.
As citizens of a democratic country, he said, all Filipinos are entitled to freedom of expression but this should be done through proper grievance mechanisms.
“The DND shall continue to adhere to Constitutional authority, fully respecting the mandates of our democratic institutions. We remain committed to doing our solemn duty to the nation,” Lorenzana said.
He said he has directed all AFP personnel to remain apolitical and neutral.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año also denounced Parlade’s act, describing it as “reckless and careless”.
Parlade and an estimated 100 supporters organized a dialogue at the People Power Monument in Quezon City on Tuesday to decry the alleged corruption at the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Parlade is the former chief of the Southern Luzon Command and served as one of the spokespersons of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
On Nov. 13, 2021, he substituted for Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino (KDP) presidential aspirant and former education undersecretary Antonio Valdez.
However, under the rules of the Comelec, independent aspirants are not allowed to be substituted.
His name was eventually dropped from the final list of candidates for president in the 2022 polls. (PNA)
Source: Philippines News Agency
