Senate close to losing credibility

“As the present chief PNP, I don’t think his credibility is affected. But of course, the past is another matter — we still can’t determine if that has value or not.

Calls are now being made for Philippine National Police chief (PNP) General Oscar Albayalde’s resignation only because he was linked to the “ninja cops” by a former colleague during a recent Senate hearing.

It certainly is starting to look like these Senate hearings are being held more to destroy a resource person or a witness’ reputation and used to demand that person’s resignation, which is not what Senate hearings are supposed to do.

Linking a person or official in this particular case to the so-called “ninja cops” is pretty unfair of the senator who wanted Albayalde to resign, even when his retirement is very soon.

“Ninja cops” are said to be involved in the recycling and reselling of seized drugs.

Not surprisingly, opposition Liberal Party Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, in seeking the resignation of the top cop, immediately connected Albayalde’s alleged “ninja cops” linkage to the anti-drug war. He said even as Albayalde is expected to keep his job until his retirement in November, his credibility and capability to lead the country’s 190,000-strong police force is now weakened and tarnished because of suspicion of involvement in illegal drugs.

“Whatever happens, indeed, his stint as PNP chief is tarnished by this revelation. Given the ‘tokhang’ campaign, which has killed thousands of people and supposedly drug dealers, the drug campaign loses its credibility when you hear of these allegations between high-ranking officials of the PNP,” He told reporters.

Drilon knows that his statement isn’t true, as the latest survey on the drug war had a pretty high rating among Filipinos.

Apparently, the basis of Drilon’s call for Albayalde’s resignation despite his colleague then and now PDEA chief Aaron Aquino recanting what he said against the PNP chief, even as Sen. Gordon insisted that Aquino during the meeting was forthright in saying Albayalde called to ask him not to sign and release the dismissal of the 13 police officers. Aquino has since changed his tune, thus virtually clearing Albayalde of his linkage to the “ninja cops.”

Aquino’s recantation wasn’t enough for Drilon, it seems, because his latest statement claimed it was inappropriate for Albayalde to call Aquino, who earlier told the senators Albayalde asked him (Aquino) not to implement the dismissal just yet.

“I’m really disappointed in Aquino. Senator Drilon was with me when he (Aquino) said that Albayalde called him asking for Aquino to stop the order,” Gordon was quoted as saying to media.

The PNP chief promptly rejected calls for him to resign, stressing that he will wait for his Commander-in-Chief President Duterte to decide his fate, saying that “I will not fall into that trap. I will not resign. I will ask the President.”

But if such is the logic of Sen. Drilon, it is a wonder why he has not asked his co-yellow, Vice President Leni Robredo to resign even much earlier to quit, considering the fact that she has been enmeshed in and linked to election cheating, which has, going by Drilon’s logic, tarnished her name, which is probably the reason Leni is hardly credible in most of statements she issues.

No call for resignation of Leni but a call for resignation of the PNP chief, and just for being linked to the so-called “ninja cops,” especially since the same colleague who linked Albayalde had already recanted?

But Drilon did not stop at that, saying that Albayalde should still consider resigning after Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, former PNP chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group had accused the PNP chief of being a protector of “ninja cops” during the Senate hearing.

Senate President Tito Sotto stated that it should be the Department of the Interior and Local Government, or even the courts to decide on the PNP chief — if criminal charges are filed to decide whether Albayalde would be held liable for the acts of his intelligence officer at that time.

“As the present chief PNP, I don’t think his credibility is affected. But of course, the past is another matter — we still can’t determine if that has value or not. But we are talking about the present situation,” he said on Drilon’s claim of loss of credibility of Albayalde’s credibility.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson was also against the resignation of the PNP chief, saying he should be allowed to finish his term, adding that there was no evidence presented before the committee that would “implicate him directly or otherwise in the misconduct committed by his men six years ago.

“He has a little over a month to wind up his duties as chief of PNP and his remaining days will be mostly spent doing exit calls to his troops in the field and probably meet with some foreign counterparts based here and abroad. I don’t think it’s a practical move for him to retire early,” Lacson said.

As Lacson said, there is as yet no evidence presented in the Senate hearings.

The senators, especially Senators Gordon and Drilon, should think twice, if not more times, for them not to use the Senate hearings to destroy the reputations of resource persons and without any evidence.

It is not only these senators who will lose their credibility but worse, the Senate itself, due to the way these hearings are conducted, but also as reputations are destroyed without a shred of evidence.