NAPOLCOM dismisses police sergeant over indecent social media posts

The National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM), in a unanimous en banc decision on Saturday, 6 December, ordered the dismissal from the service of Police Staff Sergeant (PSSg) Alexis Karil O. Sabater for willfully and unlawfully posting sexually suggestive, indecent, and immoral content on a publicly accessible social media account under the name “Semi Pogi.” The videos were uploaded between April and June 2025.

NAPOLCOM chief Commissioner Rafael Vicente R. Calinisan emphasized the seriousness of the misconduct, stating:

“Ako po ang nag-order ng motu propio investigation dito. Ito po ay malinaw na insulto sa dignidad ng mga kababaihan — pulis pa naman siya. Magsilbing babala po ito sa mga vloggers: 'use your influence with prudence and be responsible when posting on social media'.”

The videos documented acts such as holding papers with vulgar slang terms for sexual intercourse, slapping a woman and forcing her to eat food, simulating thrusting motions suggestive of sexual activity, showing women receiving massages with visible breast exposure, and depicting children drinking milk while he consumed beer.

Despite explicit prohibitions under PNP Memorandum Circular No. 2024-077, which bars the unauthorized use of police uniforms in social media content, Sabater appeared in uniform in several videos and publicly identified himself as a police officer on his Facebook page. He was also not a member of the officially recognized PNP content creator or vlogger team.

In his defense, PSSg Sabater claimed that the videos were meant solely for personal expression and entertainment, arguing that he did not intend to promote immorality or damage the reputation of the police service. He further stated that he produced online content to earn modest supplementary income for his family and had already deleted the videos once concerns were raised.

After thorough review, Commissioner Calinisan announced that the Commission “unanimously” found Sabater “guilty” of Conduct Unbecoming of a Police Officer and ordered his “Dismissal from the police service,” consistent with NAPOLCOM’s directive to resolve new administrative cases within 60 days as part of its zero-backlog policy.

In its ruling, Calinisan stressed that the videos were sexually explicit, degrading to women, and publicly accessible through an account directly identifying the respondent as a member of the Philippine National Police. NAPOLCOM underscored that public perception — not the respondent’s claimed comedic intent — is the controlling standard, and that his justification offered no legal mitigation.