IT all boils down to the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) and Philippine Military Academy (PMA) rivalry.
The ranking police officer who was recently suspended as a member of the PNPA鈥檚 alumni association was said to have been pressured by 鈥渟enior officials in Camp Crame鈥� to discourage his members from joining the sympathy march for slain 44 policemen in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
And according to retired Chief Superintendent Tomas Rentoy III, PNPA Alumni Association Inc. (PNPAAAI) board chairman, Senior Superintendent Jerome Baxinela gave in to the pressure to boost his chances of being promoted to a higher rank.
In an interview on Tuesday, Rentoy said Baxinela was 鈥渧ulnerable to pressure鈥� from the PNP higher-ups because of the alleged inequality in the promotion of PNPA and the PMA graduates in the police force.
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Earlier, Rentoy announced the suspension of Baxinela and Senior Superintendent Bernardo Borrinaga for dissuading PNPA graduates to join the controversial march as tribute to six PNPA alumni who died in the January 25 operation.
鈥淭he trouble is, namamalimos pa ang officials natin sa pwesto sa paghehenaral. So our members succumb to pressure para lang bigyan sila ng pwesto. Sa isang ideal organization, wala na dapat yan,鈥� Rentoy said.
Like the clamor of the previous PNPAAAI administration under Rosendo Dial, Rentoy lamented that at present, most PNP officers with star-rank positions are PMA graduates while products of the police academy are assigned to 鈥渕inor positions.鈥�
The issue arose anew after Baxinela and Borrinaga were allegedly pressured by 鈥渟enior officers in Camp Crame who are still in active service鈥� whom Rentoy refused to name.
鈥淎ctually, those who pressured them, may feelers na huwag silang i-sanction鈥o go easy on them. Siguro ngayon nakita nilang sinuspend namin sila, alam nilang we really mean business na hindi kami pwedeng ma-pressure sa gano鈥檔,鈥� he said.
Baxinela and Borrinaga, Camp Crame and National Capital Region Police Office鈥檚 Regional Support Group chapter president of the PNPAAAI, were suspended after spreading a text message preventing PNPA graduates from supporting the 44-kilometer walk-run event last March 8.
Rentoy said Borrinaga, in his explanation to the PNPAAAI, was 鈥渄issuaded by the NCRPO regional director鈥� from joining the march.
鈥淚f you will recall, one by one, our permits to assemble from Quezon City government, MMDA, and in Camp Crame,were all recalled,鈥� he said.
Rentoy said assignments to third-level key positions in the PNP, which starts from the rank of Senior Superintendent up to Police Director, should be 鈥渂ased on merits鈥� of police officers.
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鈥淎ng graduates ba nila (PMA), sila lang ang may monopoly of knowledge? Hindi naman siguro. We also have officers who are lawyers, graduates of Asian Institue Management, and other prestigious schools,鈥� he said.
鈥淧NPA graduates should also be given the chance to lead. We don鈥檛 lack good officers.鈥�
Asked to comment on the matter, PNP spokesperson Senior Superintendent Bartolome Tobias maintained that the PNP has nothing to do with the internal affairs PNPAAAI as it is a private organization. AC