PRO-10 director Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano addresses reporters during the presentation of his region’s operational accomplishments at Camp Vicente Alagar in Cagayan de Oro City on Monday, July 20, 2026. Photo by Cong B. Corrales

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – “Zombie” police personnel will now be a thing of the past – at least in Northern Mindanao.

This after the Police Regional Office-10 (PRO-10) pulled the plug on gruelling 24-hour shifts that leave officers asleep on their feet.

Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano, PRO-10 regional director, overhauled the deployment strategy long observed in their ranks to boost police operational efficiency across the region.

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READ: 2 Cebu City cops sacked for sleeping on the job

Abrahano announced on Monday the end of the traditional “Tumba-tumba” practice — a demanding cycle that requires police officers to be on duty for 24 hours followed by 24 hours off.

Calling the old setup neither “practical nor logical,” Abrahano pointed out its flaws: “Can you really believe that for the whole 24 hours our police officers are really awake and on duty?”

Under a new protocol sanctioned by the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, PRO-10 has begun implementing a deployment system consisting of three- to six-hour shifts.

“If police officers are well-rested, they are more efficient in their patrols and operations,” Abrahano said.

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To ensure compliance, he issued a strict ultimatum to local police chiefs.

“The 24-hour duty must be abolished, or the police commander will be charged [administratively],” he stressed.

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Abrahano announced the change in shifting arrangements as he vowed to purge police ranks in Northern Mindanao of drug users and protocol violators in line with the PNP’s internal cleansing program.

In issuing the stark warning against police drug users, Abrahano pointed out that illegal drug use currently ranks as the second most common cause of police protocol violations.

“We have been implementing regular mandatory drug testing. If you test positive for drug use, you will be dismissed from the service. Not just relieved,” he said.

The most common violation committed by police officers in the region is AWOL or “Absent Without Official Leave,” the official said.

The least cause is “Violence Against Women and Children,” he added.

“We are serious about cleansing our ranks,” Abrahano told reporters during the presentation of the first quarter operational accomplishments of PRO-10 at Camp Vicente Alagar here on Monday.

READ: 232 cops dismissed in Q1 as PNP intensifies internal purge

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Under its internal cleansing program, PRO-10 resolved 88 administrative cases from January to June this year. The regional office sanctioned and disciplined 122 personnel, resulting in 24 dismissals from the service, three demotions, 34 suspensions, one salary forfeiture, and nine reprimands, while 51 officers were exonerated./coa