127 cops on PNP ‘scalawag’ watchlist

MANILA, Philippines — The Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) of the Philippine National Police is keeping tabs on 127 PNP personnel allegedly involved in illegal activities.

The police officers were included in the IMEG’s watchlist and are now the subjects of close monitoring.

The IMEG made the announcement during its third founding anniversary on Feb. 22.

Sought for details, IMEG spokesperson Lt. Mary Jean Cuevas declined to give more information about the police officers’ illegal activities as she explained these are considered confidential.

“We cannot divulge any information on that,” she said in a message on Viber.

The PNP’s anti-corruption unit received 261 information reports last year about the activities of police scalawags, 181 of which were validated.

The IMEG also worked on 17 intelligence packets involving corrupt police personnel.

In 2021, IMEG arrested 12 police officers, two retired PNP personnel, four from other law enforcement agencies or PNP non-uniformed personnel and their 24 civilian cohorts.

The IMEG, formerly known as the Counter-Intelligence Task Force, was created to run after police officers who are involved in activities such as illegal drugs, extortion and corruption.