Cops in Duterte ‘narco list’ ordered reinstated years after dismissal

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

Several high-ranking police officers once assigned in Western Visayas, who were dismissed from service in 2021 after being publicly named in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial “narco list,” have been ordered reinstated by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) after being fully exonerated of all charges.

The case dates back to August 7, 2016, when then-President Duterte included a group of police officials from Western Visayas in a list of personalities allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade.

Among those named were Police Lieutenant Colonel Noel Lamsis and Police Major Rio Maymay. Following the announcement, most of the officers were promptly relieved from their posts in Region 6 and reassigned.

In 2021, the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) found the officers, including Lamsis and Maymay, guilty of Incompetence and Gross Neglect of Duty, leading to their dismissal from the Philippine National Police.

However, the basis for the dismissal came under scrutiny during a subsequent probe by the House of Representatives on extrajudicial killings. A NAPOLCOM Western Visayas official admitted to the committee that he was “not so diligent in the investigation” into the officers and had “only relied upon the pronouncement of the president” as the primary basis for the case.

In separate decisions, the Civil Service Commission granted the appeals of the dismissed officers, including PLTCOL Lamsis and PMaj Maymay. The CSC’s resolution set aside the earlier NAPOLCOM rulings for lack of merit.

The commission exonerated the officers from the administrative charges and ordered the NAPOLCOM to reinstate them to their former positions.

Furthermore, the decision mandates that the officers receive full back wages, leave credits, and other benefits covering the period from their dismissal to their actual reinstatement, effectively reversing the administrative penalties imposed on them.