Azurin Says Police Are Prohibited to Solicit, Receive Gifts During Holiday Season
The Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen Rodolfo Azurin Jr warned police that solicitation and receiving gifts this holiday is not allowed.
Azurin warned police officers on Monday not to ask for or accept presents during the holiday season. According to Presidential Decree 46, soliciting is banned, and any PNP personnel discovered to have done so would face appropriate repercussions.
“While we understand that some want to reciprocate our deeds, I said let’s be strict this time. We do not ask because we all know that we are all having a hard time making ends meet. Lots of jobs have been lost and businesses are still recovering,” said Azurin in a press briefing at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
“Definitely they will be administratively charged and they will also be criminally charged under provisions of graft and corrupt practices. Let’s be together, it means we celebrate Christmas, and we can have fun without spending a lot of money celebrating Christmas,” he said.
Azurin further insisted that police officers are not permitted to accept any kind of “token of gratitude,” adding that the PNP chief released the bonus early so that officers wouldn’t be tempted to do so, based on the report of PNA.
“Let’s refrain from giving gifts because the police might get used to it. This is why we made it a point to release their bonus early. At the same time, I urge them to spend it wisely because that came from the government. It’s part of the appreciation for their good performance. Let’s not cross more than what we are entitled to, especially if these are prohibited by law,” he encouraged.
The PNP declared that a total of P8,502,008,690.81 had been made available for its 225,515 employees’ year-end bonuses and monetary gifts. The PNP Chief claims that the funds came from the regularly scheduled PNP Appropriations included in the 2022 agency budget.
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