(Photo from the Cotabato Police Provincial Office’s Facebook page)
Kidapawan City – The Cotabato Police Provincial Office (CPPO) strongly warns its police force from accepting any kinds of gifts as favors because it is against the law.
In an interview over local radio station DXND Radyo-BIDA, CPPO spokesperson Police Lt. Col Bernard Tayong said that even though it is in the nature of Filipinos to give gifts for persons who may have helped them, however he said that police officers are public servants who will be of service to the people with or without gifts from the public they serve.
He also reminded his fellow police officials that accepting protection money and other valuable items is against the law.
President Duterte earlier said he finds nothing wrong with policemen accepting cash or gifts from the public for doing a good job. However, Interior secretary Eduardo Año, the PNP top brass and the Civil Service Commission issued warnings to police and other civil servants to not accept cash or any gifts as they may face administrative and criminal charges for what could be considered as a form of bribery. (Rommel F. Lopez)