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PNP Chief Dionado Carlos on DZMM Teleradyo

MANILA - Cops must remain non-partisan and cannot render private services to politicians in the coming elections or else face consequences, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, General Dionado Carlos said Tuesday.

Carlos said that even while on leave, cops cannot render services for any political party or person because they remain active members of the PNP.

"Kung sila ay on leave, at sila rin ay active member ng PNP and they become partisan... Wag nila gawin ngayon. Alam ko paano nila pinapaikot yan. They [must] follow what is the instruction of the leadership, and I will make sure they perform professionally for a peaceful elections. If they will not follow that, sige, subukan niyo," Carlos said in an interview on TeleRadyo.

("They cannot become partisan even if they are on leave, they remain active members of the PNP. I know how they try to work around that. They must follow what is the instruction of the leadership, and I will make sure they perform professionally for a peaceful elections. If they don't comply, they'll see.)

Carlos clarified the PNP may extend security assistance, area security, and traffic control to politicians during the election period, but as a matter of securing peace and order.

The PNP will be working with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard, co-deputized agencies by the Commission on Elections to ensure a successful and peaceful 2021 national elections.

Carlos shared that as of Tuesday, an additional one hundred cops have been vaccinated, lowering the total of unvaccinated police from 1,800 in Monday to 1,700, less than 1% of the total 222,000 staff of the national police force.

The PNP previously said unvaccinated cops would remain on duty administratively, and not for field deployment.

He added that PNP could not implement the no vaccination-no work policy because the police force is paid by the government on a daily basis.

• READ: PNP eyes ‘no vax, no deployment’ for cops

Carlos said that the agency will continue its efforts to encourage the remaining unvaccinated cops to get jabbed.

But should the President Rodrigo Duterte decide to mandate vaccination, Carlos said PNP would comply.

As of Dec. 5, the government has achieved 49.48 percent or 38.2 million of its target 77.1 million people for complete vaccination, more than 9 months since the vaccine rollout.

• Philippines: COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

The government is set to hold another national vaccination drive on December 15-17 after the government managed to inoculate nearly 10 million during the initial run last week.

- With reports from Rowena Cos, ABS-CBN News