Unmask Guo’s ex-PNP chief ‘coddler,’ Marbil told

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said yesterday he does not know the former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who allegedly helped dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo escape to Indonesia.

“I don’t know anything about that PNP chief,” Abalos said, adding current PNP Chief General Rommel Marbil should investigate the matter.

“Let the PNP chief answer this issue. I think they are doing something about it. It’s hard to make accusations without facts,” Abalos said, adding he has not spoken with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. about the matter.

During a Senate hearing on illegal gambling hubs, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Senior Vice President Raul Villanueva revealed that intelligence sources had information about a former PNP chief who may have assisted Guo in fleeing the country.

Meanwhile, Abalos thanked officials and employees of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), particularly those in regional offices, for helping make him one of the top-performing members of the Marcos cabinet.

Speaking at the DILG Field Officers National Convention-Luzon Cluster in Clark, Pampanga, Abalos credited the department’s employees for their efforts, which led to the DILG being recognized as one of the most trusted government agencies.

He reported that the DILG received the highest "unqualified opinion" from the Commission on Audit (CoA) for the last two consecutive years, 2023 and 2024.

Abalos congratulated the Bureau of Fire Protection for being named the 2024 Best Employer, achieving a 9.22/10 rating from Statista, a business intelligence portal based in Germany.

According to Abalos, CoA has also mandated the DILG to provide a special fund for the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, which played a key role in the successful Hajj pilgrimage of Filipino Muslims to Mecca.

Abalos also highlighted the DILG’s efforts in bringing electricity to 29 provinces that had long suffered from a lack of power supply. He mentioned that talks with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines helped resolve the issue.

He also noted the DILG’s and the PNP’s integration of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front members into the police force.

Abalos also cited the success of the "Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan" (BIDA) program, which resulted in a 700 percent increase in confiscated illegal drugs under the Marcos administration compared to previous leadership.