New police recruits deny they were mulcted

By Erly C. Garcia

Two hundred seventy-five new police recruits denied the allegation of Atty. Joseph Celiz , assistant regional director of the National Police Commission ( Napolcom ), that the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 is tolerating “ palakasan ” in the admission of police applicants.

In a manifesto the new police recruits belonging to the Public Safety Basic Recruit Course class numbers 6-04-11, 6-04-12, 6-04-13, 6-04-14 and 6-04-15 pointed out that they have been selected to become police officers because of their qualifications and that they have met all the requirements for appointment to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Earlier, Celiz alleged that police applicants were made to pay as much as P30 ,000 in order to be admitted as trainees.

He refused to pinpoint to whom the applicants pay but he said that he received many complaints about it.

The new police recruits' manifesto maintained that they were accepted into the police service “in our own merits and we did not collectively or individually give any kind of amount or gifts as payment or grease money to any officers or member of the Recruitment Board to include Atty. Joseph Celiz just to be recruited as Police Officers One (PO1) of the PNP.”

Earlier, Chief Supt. George Aliño , regional director of PRO 6 belied the allegations of Atty. Celiz .

To note, the alleged scams in the recruitment procedures of the PNP is now being investigated by the Senate Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs chaired by Senator Manny Villar .

Villar's Senate Resolution 156 asks for an investigation into the recruitment-for-a-fee scam in the PNP and recommends the filing of appropriate criminal and administrative charges against erring PNP personnel. This came as a result of complaints from several mayors from the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) particularly from Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur .