Malacañang on Wednesday said the government relies upon newly minted Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police Lt. Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan to stamp corruption out of the police force.
“[Cascolan is expected to] rid [PNP] of corruption because that’s the reason why the President doubled the salary of the armed forces and military,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque said in an interview over CNN Philippines’ The Source.
Cascolan’s appointment took effect today, Sept. 2.
He replaced retired Police Gen. Archie Gamboa who reached the mandatory retirement age of 55 today.
Cascolan’s number one task, Roque said, was to “uphold integrity of the rule of law as far as the PNP is concerned.”
President Rodrigo Duterte has also ordered the new PNP chief to “sustain the gains of the drug war,” the president’s spokesman revealed.
DILG expresses support
In a statement, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año backed Cascolan’s appointment.
“We are confident that the incoming chief of the PNP would continue the significant strides made by his predecessors in making the PNP a professional organization worthy of our people’s trust,” Año said in a statement Wednesday.
“In the face of the Covid-19 global pandemic, we are confident that the new PNP chief will deliver the high demands of public service expected by the public from the PNP as it continues to be a pillar in the battle against this dreadful disease,” he added. John Ezekiel J. Hirro