Police official accused of harassment quits post

The acting Highway Patrol Group (HPG) chief of the Philippine National Police has voluntarily resigned from his post after a subordinate accused him of sexual harassment.

Brig. Gen. Jessie Tamayao, however, denied the allegation in a statement on Wednesday, calling it part of a personal vendetta against him.

“I have always conducted myself with the utmost professionalism and respect for my colleagues and the public I serve. I firmly deny the allegations. I can only deduce this is a personal vendetta the reason of which I am not aware,” Tamayao said.

“To ensure a completely impartial, fair and transparent conduct of the investigation, I have decided to voluntarily step down from my position as acting director of the PNP Highway Patrol Group, effective immediately,” he added.

No admission of guilt

“My decision to resign is not an admission of guilt, but a demonstration of my commitment to due process and the institutional reputation of the Philippine National Police,” Tamayao said.

The alleged victim filed the administrative case against Tamayao on Tuesday before the National Police Commission (Napolcom), accusing him of violating Republic Act No. 7877 or the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act and RA 10173 or the Data Privacy Act.

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In a separate statement, the Napolcom said the victim alleged that the acting PNP-HPG chief invited her to have sex with him with the use of “intimidation and threats.” He also supposedly accessed her cellphone and its contents without her consent.

Tamayao responded by saying that he welcomed a thorough investigation to clear his name. He also pledged to cooperate as he called for the process to be fair and for his right to be presumed innocent to be respected.

“By stepping down, I aim to remove any perception of influence or conflict of interest while the proper authorities perform their duties,” he said.