For the first time in the history of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, retired and active generals of the Philippine National Police (PNP) testified against one of their fellow officials.
Senator Dick Gordon pointed this out when he sponsored the committee report on the investigation into the so-called “ninja cops,” in connection with a raid conducted in Pampanga on November 29. 2013 when Gen. Oscar Albayalde was still Pampanga provincial director.
“They all came out and seem to point out to a very serious injury to the PNP.”
“Never in the annals of the history of the Blue Ribbon have eight generals come to witness against their fellow officer – Oscar Albayalde. They all came out and seem to point out to a very serious injury to the PNP and that is there was a dereliction of duty on the part of Albayalde unless it could be proven, as we have proven, that this was a whole conspiracy of sorts that allowed these people, led by a certain Major (Rodney) Baloyo who was the intelligence officer of Albayalde, to perpetrate their ill will upon us,” Gordon said.
The veteran legislator was referring to Retired General and now Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who was then chief of the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and seven other generals who testified during the investigation in connection with Magalong’s disclosure that the police team who conducted the said raid were engaged in drug recycling or the so-called “agaw-bato.”
The other generals are Gen. Allan Purisima, then PNP chief; Gen. Raul Petrasanta, then PNP Region III director; Gen. Aaron Aquino, who was also appointed as Pampanga provincial director; Gen. Rudy Lacadin, then PNP-CIDG deputy director; Gen. Graciano Mijares, then of the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit; Gen. Manuel Gaerlan, who investigated the anomalous operation; Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro – Director, PNP-Drug Enforcement Group, who also made a report on the operation.
The seasoned lawmaker invited Magalong to testify at the joint probe conducted by the Committees on Justice and Human Rights and the Accountability of Public Officers And Investigations (Blue Ribbon) on the abusive implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance Law which has then veered into the anomalies in the New Bilibid Prisons.
During the hearing, Magalong referred to the so-called “agaw-bato” practiced by police officers. Afterwards, Magalong made further disclosures about the issue in an executive session which prompted the investigation into the alleged “ninja cops.”
“That was really an earth-shaking revelation.”
“That was really an earth-shaking revelation…I have to admire this PMA graduate who dared to speak up against his fellow PMA alumnus. And that is very, very rare indeed…Napakalaki pong risk ang ginawa ni Gen. Magalong. Ang kustombre natin ay ayaw nating ipapahiya ang kasama natin hangga’t maaari. Obviously, he’s standing up for justice,” the senator said.