Eleazar sacks cop in recruitment racket

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar has dismissed from the service a police officer who was arrested twice for rigging the PNP’s recruitment process.

Eleazar signed last Monday the dismissal order of S/Sgt. Joel Bunagan, an ambulance driver of the PNP Health Service.

Bunagan was found guilty of grave misconduct for extorting money from police applicants, according to Eleazar.

“Tuluyan na nating tinanggal sa serbisyo itong si Bunagan. Sinabi ko naman sa inyo na walang puwang sa PNP ang mga pulis na sangkot sa iligal na gawain,” he said.

Bunagan was apprehended by operatives of the PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) in an entrapment operation in Caloocan City on May 31.

He allegedly demanded P100,000 from a police applicant in exchange for passing the PNP recruitment process.

Records showed that Bunagan was arrested by IMEG agents in Quezon City for the same offense in April last year.

Eleazar vowed to personally monitor the progress of the criminal cases filed against Bunagan.

The PNP chief warned Bunagan’s cohorts hat he would not stop until they are removed from the police force.

“Aside from criminal cases na isasampa laban sa inyo, talagang tutuluyan ko kayong sibakin sa serbisyo,” Eleazar said.