‘Escort job’ cops in limbo

For reportedly escorting a Taiwanese national suspected of being a drug laboratory operator, three Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Group (PNP-ASG) policemen have been barred from resuming their normal duties at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Though they have not been placed under preventive suspension, they are not allowed to do patrol operations nor exercise their original functions as police officers.

"For the meantime, they have limited functions," PNP-ASG chief Senior Superintendent Atilano Morada told The STAR yesterday in an interview.

He added that while the investigation has yet to be completed, they confiscate the three policemen’s identification cards everyday.

The PNP-ASG has decided not to reveal the names of the three police officers for the time being so as not to cause them undue harm.

Morada said the results of the probe will determine if his men did or did not escort Hsu Hung Hui, 49, to NAIA’s immigration counter last April 1.

The Taiwanese national, who was on the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) watchlist, was nabbed before he boarded a China Airlines flight to Taiwan.

Security cameras allegedly caught the police officers on video as they were accompanying Hsu to the departure area, where an immigration officer allowed him to pass.

NAIA immigration department chief Ferdinand Sampol said the immigration officer is also under investigation and will face sanctions.

Morada said he did not place the three police officers under preventive suspension since the allegations being hurled against them have yet to be backed by concrete evidence, which is being gathered by intelligence operatives handling the probe.

He explained that civil service rules apply in the case which means that the probe will have to be finished to determine probable cause.

If enough evidence suggesting guilt is found, Morada said a pre-charge investigation will be conducted to determine what case will be filed against the policemen.

The applicable sanctions, he told The STAR, may range from suspension to demotion or dismissal, depending on the results of the probe. – Michael Punongbayan