MANILA — Twenty-five high-ranking police officials have yet to submit their courtesy resignations over a week since interior secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. made his appeal to the senior police officials, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Sunday.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo told ABS-CBN News 928 or 97 percent of the total 953 full colonels and generals across the country have tendered their resignations.

The police headquarters received 24 more resignations on Saturday.

Fajardo said most of the remaining resignations are expected to come from Visayas and Mindanao.

• Over 900 top cops tender courtesy resignations: DILG

Abalos said on Friday there would be no need to disclose the names of the officials found with connections to the illegal drug trade.

“This is a radical move. Kamukha noong sinasabi ko, extraordinary times call for radical and bold acts. This is out of the box,” he said at a press conference.

“Kung, let’s say, may matanggap kang resignation, 'let them retire silently.' If we have enough evidence that will build up criminal cases, let’s sue them in court.”

A 5-member panel whose members are yet to be announced will review the resignations and determine actions on so-called “ninja cops."

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary added the committee will have sole prerogative on how it will handle its findings by filing cases or allowing police to retire.

“We will give them all of the intelligence report, we will give them all of the evidence we have, it’s up to them to decide,” Abalos said.

“Bahala sila, titingnan nila, dapat ba o hindi, it’s up to them.”

‘EASY WAY OUT’

Human rights group Karapatan on Sunday criticized Abalos’s stance to let senior cops “retire peacefully."

Karapatan secretary-general Cristina Palabay expressed caution at seemingly letting guilty officials off the hook via retirement.

“It is turning out to be really an easy way out—if police generals who submitted courtesy resignations are allowed to retire without the benefit of an independent investigation on their involvement in the drug trade,” she said in a statement sent to ABS-CBN News.

“The series of so-called courtesy resignations may turn out to be just charades in the Marcos Jr. government’s cleansing of its image and record if it goes this way, while serious prosecution of cops involved in alleged extrajudicial killings in the drug war is nowhere in sight.”

• Mga pulis na nag-courtesy resignation, idadaan sa lifestyle check
• Courtesy resignations may hurt PNP morale: Pimentel

Bayan Muna Chairman Neri Colmenares also expressed that he's not content with the government's plan on letting senior police officials easily retire just because the evidence against them is weak.

"Hindi ako kuntento diyan lalo na hindi kapani-paniwala na hindi kayang magbuild ng kaso ang gobyerno laban sa mga kurakot na officials,” Colmenares said during the Balitaan sa Maynila forum Sunday.

According to earlier reports, DILG Sec. Abalos said they will let senior officials with ties in illegal drugs to retire peacefully if the evidence against them is not strong enough to build a case.

"The government has the capacity to investigate these crimes, they have all the documents, all the intelligence budget. Billions of pesos, tapos mahina ang ebidensya mo? No, that should not be the case,” Colmenares said.

He added that if senior police officials were allowed to retire peacefully even after discovering their ties with illegal drugs, it would be a sign that the government failed to conduct a good investigation.

“It’s a failure of honest to goodness investigation, 'di ako solve sa ganoong explanation, para sa akin may capacity ang gobyerno na magbuild ng case, it’s just that compromised ang investigatory functions ng gobyerno, kasi heneral 'yan eh. Ang hirap imbestigahan 'yan eh,” he said.

“Ang sa akin, serious investigation, serious prosecution hanggang sa makulong lahat ng kurakot o nagkasala sa mga police officers."

Colmenares also challenged the government to let a third party investigate the cases of the generals.

“Ibigay ninyo kaya ang data sa mga advocate lawyers, tignan natin kung hindi maka- build? Bigay ninyo lahat ng data. Pero kung kayo- kayo mag imbestiga nyan at old- school buddies lang, may problema talaga,” Colmenares said.

--With a report from Jasmin Romero, ABS-CBN News