“Why should policemen inside police camps be exempted from the President’s directive? What was Albayalde’s reason for allowing policemen in uniform to drink liquor inside a police camp, anyway?

Philippine National Police (PNP) director general Oscar Albayalde may no longer be the top cop in the country, but according to Sen. Richard Gordon, there is more than sufficient evidence to link the ex-police chief to the covert operations of the so-called “ninja cops” who recycle confiscated narcotics by selling them in the contraband market.

It seems that long before the “ninja cops” controversy broke out, Albayalde was already courting trouble earlier this year.

On Tuesday, 8 January 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte delivered a speech in Pasay City directing all uniformed personnel, policemen in particular, to stop consuming liquor at public places. He cited instances when drunk cops and intoxicated soldiers ended up in brawls or shooting incidents.

The President merely echoed the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards governing public officials and employees, which forbids public officers from being intoxicated while on duty. For the police service, that means cops cannot consume liquor while they are in uniform.

President Duterte’s order in January 2019 is very clear. Cops and soldiers, wherever they are, must not drink liquor while they are in uniform.

Actually, drunk cops are easily enticed to engage in violent confrontations. They give the police force a bad name, and they create bad examples for younger generations of law enforcers.

The danger to public safety posed by the consumption of liquor cannot be overstated. That is why, for example, the sale of liquor is prohibited on the eve of election day, and on election day itself.

Surprisingly, however, Albayalde amended President Duterte’s directive just two days after the President made his announcement.

At a press conference held at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City on 10 January 2019 (two days after the President announced the ban), Albayalde announced that the President’s order against public drinking is not applicable to PNP camps. More specifically, Albayalde declared that the policy prohibiting uniformed police personnel from drinking in public is unlikely to apply inside police camps.

Albayalde also said liquor consumption inside police camps “is a controlled social activity inside a highly secured facility.” He added that camp authorities know how to control liquor consumption inside their camps. Huh?

Since when can the PNP director general defy or override an order of the President, especially one that is based on existing legislation? As the top law enforcer of the land, Albayalde should have obeyed, instead of countermanded, President Duterte’s order.

The camp where a policeman is assigned to is his office, similar to the office a government official or employee reports to. Since the law prohibits intoxication inside government offices especially during office hours, that ban should likewise apply to police camps, especially to policemen in uniform inside those police camps.

Apparently, Albayalde believes that it is perfectly alright for policemen to drink liquor while they are in uniform as long as they are inside police camps.

Other questions persist. Why should policemen inside police camps be exempted from the President’s directive? What was Albayalde’s reason for allowing policemen in uniform to drink liquor inside a police camp, anyway?

Every police camp has a stockpile on firearms and explosives. What will happen when drunk cops inside those camps obtain access to those firearms and explosives? Isn’t it more likely for problems to arise if policemen are allowed to drink inside the police camps?

There should be no ifs and buts about President Duterte’s order. A policeman who wants to drink liquor may do so only when he is not in uniform, when he is not bearing a firearm, and when he is not in a public place, especially a PNP camp, period. No PNP official can amend the President’s directive.

Liquor consumption by uniformed policemen inside police camps should be investigated by non-police authorities. That may explain why there are “ninja cops” in the first place.