Duterte told: Resignation may be illegal

MANILA, Philippines - A National Police Commission official said Wednesday that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte may be violating the law with his resignation as its deputized representative in the city. Napolcom vice chairman Eduardo Escueta said in a radio interview that while the Napolcom can yank out mayors who had been delinquent at their job, the mayors cannot quit their posts. "Sayang at nagpasiya si mayor magbitiw. Subali’t maaari sigurong tignan mabuti kung yan ay ayon sa batas. Sapagka’t ang pagganap ng tungkulin bilang deputy ay nasa sa batas. Ang Napolcom ang mag-aalis halimbawa kung ang mayor hindi sumusunod sa kanyang tungkulin, ang Napolcom maaaring tanggalin ang deputization. Pero di maaari na ang ating local official ay magre-resign dahil yan ay tungkulin na iginawad ng batas," Escueta said over radio dzXL. [We regret the mayor resigned his post, but we strongly urge him to see if his action will violate the law. Under the law, the mayor is the deputized representative of Napolcom. The Napolcom can remove a mayor who has been remiss in his job, but the mayor cannot quit his deputized post.] "Ang suggestion ko, baka pwedeng suriin niya sapagka’t baka hindi maaring basta-basta mag-resign ang local government official dahil lamang sa siya ay na-pressure ng iilang sector. Ang tungkulin bilang deputy ng Napolcom nasa batas," he added. [Our suggestion is that Duterte should rethink his decision. He cannot just resign just because some sectors are pressuring him. The duty of being a Napolcom deputy is in the law.] On the other hand, Escueta insisted the resignation of Duterte will not affect the city police’s operations, as their chain of command remains intact. "Wala po namang masyadong epekto sa PNP sapagka’t tuloy ang kanilang operation, ang chain of command ay patuloy na maging epektibo [His resignation has little effect if at all on the Philippine National Police. The PNP will continue its operation. Its chain of command is intact]," he said. Duterte on Tuesday relinquished control of the city’s police force to make way for a Commission on Human Rights (CHR) investigation into alleged summary executions in the city. He said this was meant to prevent claims of a whitewash if he retains control of the city’s police. On the other hand, Escueta said they have found Duterte to be a great help to the city police in maintaining peace and order. "Tumutulong ang mayor sa PNP at maganda ang ginagawa ni Mayor Duterte [The mayor is to help the PNP maintain peace and order. In Duterte’s case, he is doing a good job]," he said. Meanwhile, Duterte’s camp frowned on the plan of the House of Representatives to conduct a parallel investigation into alleged summary killings in the city. Radio dzXL reported that Davao City administrator, lawyer Wendel Avisado, said the House of Representatives should just let the Commission on Human Rights do its work. In the meantime, Avisado said Duterte is now on “vacation" after quitting his post at the Napolcom, while the CHR investigation of the so-called summary executions is still ongoing. - GMANews.TV