Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS) Director General Brigido Dulay said they will expand their inquiry into the number of embarrassing incidents and “punishments” in the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) to include possible lapses in supervision and accountability of officers within its chain of command.
“The Internal Affairs Service will treat this alleged hazing incident with the highest level of urgency and seriousness. Beyond identifying those directly involved, our mandate is to determine whether there were lapses in supervision and to establish the accountability of those tasked to oversee and protect the cadets,” said Dulay.
The IAS investigation stemmed from the incident involving three PNPA cadets for allegedly subjecting 20 underclassmen to cruel punishment, including the use of a mix of drain cleaner and muriatic acid.
According to the initial investigation, the hazing began after the plebes were blamed for an issue involving a cadet who intended to resign, which led to the group being punished.
The injured cadets are currently receiving medical attention and psychological support.
The incident came to light early on April 3 inside Barracks 2 of the PNPA and was quickly elevated through the chain of command.
Internal cleansing
An angry PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., who earlier vowed to go all-out in supporting the PNPA to ensure quality education and training, now included a sweeping internal cleansing inside the academic institution.
Nartatez’s order signaled a tougher stance against abuse within the ranks of future police officers: “Let me be clear that the PNP has zero tolerance for hazing. We will not tolerate this.”
“Despite our warnings, some chose to disregard the law. Those who think they are above the Anti-Hazing Act have no place in our ranks. We will ensure that the full force of the law is applied to these individuals,” he vowed.
Dulay, for his part, said they already coordinated with its regional office in Police Regional Office 4A (Calabarzon) and engaged the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Cavite Provincial Field Unit to support its independent investigation.
He vowed to extend accountability across the chain of command.
“We have directed the immediate conduct of a thorough and independent investigation to ascertain whether the actions, inaction, or negligence of supervising personnel contributed to the occurrence of this incident.”
“Let this be clear: command responsibility is not optional. Any failure to enforce discipline, prevent abuse, or uphold the standards of training will be met with appropriate administrative sanctions,” he added.
Weird punishments
The use of muriatic acid in the supposed move to instill discipline among the cadets was not the first incident of weird punishment recorded at the PNPA.
In October 2018, three third-year cadets of the PNPA put the academy in bad light after they were accused of forcing first-year cadets to engage in oral sex as punishment.
The incident also resulted in the relief of the head of the PNPA.
A month earlier of the same year, more than 40 cadets were sanctioned for beating up their graduating upperclassmen, including the Regimental Commander or the First Captain.
The incident happened right after the graduation ceremony, and it actually shocked even the alumni of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) since one of those mauled was the highest-ranking official of the PNPA Cadet Corps, equivalent to the Class Baron in the military academy. (Aaron Recuenco)
