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A total of 5,599 cops were dismissed from the Philippine National Police (PNP) from July 2016 until March 30, 2022 after facing administrative charges due to grave offenses as it opposed Friday a recent report of the US State Department’s latest annual country reports on human rights ''stating that IAS (Internal Affairs Service) remained largely ineffective.''

The US State Department on Tuesday said ''significant human rights issues included credible reports of:

A. Unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings, by and on behalf of the government and nonstate actors;

B. Reports of forced disappearance by and on behalf of the government and nonstate actors;

C. Torture by and on behalf of the government and nonstate actors;

D. Harsh and life-threatening prison conditions;

E. Arbitrary detention by and on behalf of the government and nonstate actors; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; arbitrary and unlawful interference with privacy;

F. Serious abuses in a conflict, including unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers by terrorists and groups in rebellion against the government;

G. Serious restrictions on free expression and media, including violence, threats of violence, and unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists, censorship, and the use of criminal libel laws to punish journalists;

H. High-level and widespread government corruption; serious government restrictions on or harassment of domestic human rights organizations; and threats and violence against labor activists.''

''The government investigated a limited number of reported human rights abuses, including abuses by its own forces, paramilitary forces, and insurgent and terrorist groups,' the report said.

The PNP said ''its Internal Affairs Service has taken an aggressive stance in handling and investigating police personnel who were meted with administrative charges.''

''The PNP has vowed to fight against corruption within the PNP system through its Internal Cleansing Program,'' said the PNP.

''With this conscious effort of the PNP, PNP IAS and PNP IMEG ( Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group) to thwart corruption within the organization, the PNP wishes to oppose the statement from the recent report of the United States Department of State’s latest annual country reports on human rights stating that IAS remained largely ineffective,'' the PNP said.

''Although we are not completely disregarding this report, the PNP would like to respond to it with all the significant accomplishments of IAS, as mentioned above,'' it said.

''It will be unfair for the PNP to be regarded as an organization that tolerates impunity and human rights abuses,'' the PNP said.

The PNP said apart from the dismissal from service, several penalties were imposed to police personnel who were charged for less serious offenses.

Data from July 2016-March 2022 shows that 1,129 were demoted, 10,490 were suspended, 848 faced forfeiture of salary, 2,475 were reprimanded, 208 were restricted and privileges were withheld for 286 personnel.

Out of the 5,599 dismissed cops, 714 of them are involved in illegal drug related cases.

''These numbers of penalized personnel reflect the PNP’s commitment to cleanse its ranks in order to carry out their mandate in protecting the community,'' it said.

The Department of Justice, through the National Bureau of Investigation, is carrying out its independent investigation on cases of anti-drug operations and the PNP has given its full cooperation in the investigation. DMS