Three days after snub: Policemen ‘assured’ graduation

CEBU, Philippines - Hopes are now high for 192 police officers after they were allegedly promised they would actually be allowed to graduate from their Public Safety Junior Leadership Course.

The information was relayed to them in a special session at the Regional Training School in Barangay Jugan, Consolacion, Cebu yesterday.

It came three days after the policemen, who were part of 338 who took the course, which is a requirement for promotion to the rank of Senior Police Officer 1, were barred from joining the graduation rites last Friday.

Speaking anonymously, a police officer said they were notified last Sunday to report to the RTS headquarters for the result of the deliberation by the academic board over their supposed offense.

He said RTS-7 Director Edwelito Rosales appeared before them and allegedly spoke to them in a soft voice that it was not RTS’ fault that they had to suffer after skipping the Honor’s Night.

Citing the said failure to join the activity last Thursday, Rosales told the policemen that they could not graduate.

“Iya ming gimaymayan ingon siya nga dili sayop sa RTS nganung na-ingon ani mi,” the policeman said.

“Nakahimo na sila og order sa nang-graduate sa nga 161 pero maghimo sila’g laing order sa 192 nga pa-graduate-ton mi,” he said.

He acknowledged that skipping the Honor’s Night was wrong and he acknowledged that they have committed an infraction, which was covered under their training guidelines.

But he stressed that even if they have committed what Rosales said was a “class one offense,” they supposedly should have been ordered to first explain in writing within 48 hours.

It was only on the day of the graduation, when all the trainee-policemen were present, that it was announced that 192 who were absent during the Honor’s Night would not graduate.

“Unfair kaayo sa among part, gihukman na mi nga dili mi ka-graduate nga walay due process,” one of the policemen said.

Rosales, though, had said that Honor’s Night was an important part of the course and that based on their training manual what the trainees did (skipping the event) was a “class 1 offense” tantamount to grave misconduct.

However, the policemen argued that based on the same manual a police trainee is allowed 90 demerits before he or she gets a harsh penalty and that missing Honor’s Night was only worth 15 demerits.

He also said the RTS-7 board decided on too harsh a penalty without giving due process.

Rosales, though, said the decision was not yet final because the board required the policemen to submit a written explanation why they failed to attend Honor’s Night. If the board finds the excuse valid they will be allowed to graduate from the course.

The policeman said that before the end of the special session yesterday, Rosales’ deputy asked for their understanding.

They were then allegedly told to perform the graduation run for the second time. He said they were made to run 25 rounds at the RTS oval, was equivalent to a 15-kilometer run.

“Bag-o pa gyud mi nahuman, singot pa gani kaayo ko.  Pero okay ra lipay ra ko kay maka-graduate mi,” he told The FREEMAN.

Rosales, however, said in a text message that the RTS-7 academic board is not yet done with its evaluation.

Chief of academics Sharon Lopez told The FREEMAN that based on their initial evaluation they have downgraded the policemen’s offense from class one to a class two infraction.

A class one offense would warrant termination from the training school, which was what happened to one policeman during the start of their class.

Lopez said the offense was not actually for the policemen’s failure to attend the Honor’s Night but for their “deliberate failure to comply with an official order or instruction of a superior officer.”

She said 60 percent of the class failed to comply with the order of the training director to be present during the Honor’s Night.

“They violated the rules and regulations sa school. Nakalimot sila sa ilang duty nga police sila, nga they have to follow the rules and regulations sa school,” Lopez said.

She said that if the board decides that the policemen’s explanations are meritorious “they will be given Declaration of Graduates and Order of Merits” separately.  (FREEMAN)