By Mar Gabriel
Eagle News Service
Incoming Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said he would focus on internal cleansing in the PNP once he assumes the post on April 18.
In a television interview on Friday, Albayalde said he would “put responsibility on the ground” so that if commanders did not discipline their men, “merong kalalagyan sila.”
“Mangilan ngilan lang naman sila (police scalawags),” Albayalde said.
So far, he said he does not have a line-up of who his regional police directors would be.
He said the decision would not only be up to him but also to the oversight committee.
“Because in fairness naman sa kanila, they are all capable and hindi naman siguro maganda na basta basta sila tinatanggal just because meron akong gustong iupo,” he said.
He said apart from internal cleansing, he would continue the war on drugs
He said “if” he assumes the PNP post, he would also leave his communication lines open, just like what he has been doing as NCRPO chief.
“Makakaasa ang taong bayan na ako ay bukas sa kung paano mapapaganda (ang takbo sa PNP),” he said.
Albayalde profile
Albayalde said he was surprised when President Duterte announced he was the next PNP chief.
This is because unlike other top contenders for the post, like Deputy Director General Ramon Apolinario, who worked with President Duterte as the Davao City Police chief from July 2008 to January 2010, Albayalde does not have any Davao connections.
The Pampanga native, like Dela Rosa, is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1986.
He graduated cum laude in the PMA, having achieved academic feats that include making to the Dean’s, Academics and Superintendent’s list.
As NCRPO chief, Albayalde is known to be strict.
He roams around the city on his motorcycle even in the wee hours of the morning, and tells off his men whom he catches sleeping or not doing their jobs.
At one point, he sacked almost the entire Caloocan Police following the killings of teenagers and a break-in and robbery by city policemen.
Only recently, he sacked the Caloocan City police commander and a station commander of Manila Police District for what he said were unresolved shootings in their area of jurisdiction; and the station commander of Kamuning Police Station in Quezon City over an allegedly dirty police station.
Before being appointed to the NCRPO during Dela Rosa’s term, Albayalde was executive officer of the Directorate for Plans in Camp Crame.
Prior to this, he was the Pampanga Provincial Police Office director, but he was administratively relieved in 2014 after several of his men were implicated in allegedly illegal police operations.
Albayalde said the cases against his men have been dismissed.
Albayalde was also the police’s talking head during preparations for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Manila.