Ano sacks PNPA director over alleged ‘oral sex punishment’ issue
Interior and Local Government OIC-Secretary Eduardo Ano has ordered the relief of the head of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) over the alleged "oral sex punishment" and hazing imposed on underclassmen by senior cadets.
“OIC-Secretary A?o has ordered the immediate relief of the PNPA Director, Chief Superintendent Joseph Andol, for command responsibility and to pave the way for an impartial investigation into the incident,” said Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya, the department spokesperson, in a statement Wednesday.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Oscar Albayalde has recommended Chief Superintendent Jose Chiquito Malayo to the Philippine Public Safety College ( PPSC) as Adnol's replacement.
“I also ordered the detail of Chief Superintendent Malayo to PPSC for possible replacement of Adnol as the superintendent of the PNPA,” he said in a text message.
Malayo is the executive officer of the PNP Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development. He used to head the PNP's Counter Intelligence Task Force, which went after rogue policemen.
According to initial reports, the incident, which happened on October 6 behind the barracks within the academy premises, involved an upperclassman ordering two plebes to perform oral sex as punishment for allegedly committing violations.
Two other senior cadets, who were allegedly present during the incident, did not lift a finger to stop the punishment and just watched the alleged sexual act.
The respondent cadets, who have been placed in isolation, could face a criminal charge of hazing as well as administrative cases. The plebes are also filing a separate criminal case against them.
He also directed PPSC president Ricardo De Leon to conduct an investigation and make sure no such incident will happen again.
The PNPA is one of the constitutive units of the PPSC.
“We should not tolerate such scandalous acts in our ranks. The PPSC should act with dispatch to ensure that the true ideals, values, and discipline in the academy will continuously be upheld,” said A?o.
He said the PNP shall conduct a separate probe to determine criminal liability.
“We should not allow this so-called tradition or culture of violence to continue within the hallowed halls of the PNPA. It is contrary to the ideals of PNPA as the premier institution that produces the future police, fire and jail
officers in our country,” said A?o.
Last March, the PNPA was also embroiled in a scandal where six graduating upperclassmen were beaten up by 40 PNPA cadets on their graduation day. The PNP has since requested the DILG to turn over the management of the PNPA from the PPSC to them. DMS
