10 police chiefs in Negros recommended for relief

TEN provincial chiefs of police were recommended for relief by the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Noppo) under Acting Provincial Director Celestino Guara.

Guara said the relief of the said police chiefs is for exigency of the service.

Guara, together with lawyer Wil Arceno, provincial Comelec supervisor of Negros Occidental, presided over the Provincial Joint and Security Peace Coordinating Council meeting held at the conference room of Noppo Wednesday morning.

He said the recommendation will be forwarded to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), considering the election period has started and Comelec has supervision over the police.

He denied there is politics behind the said relief of the subject police chiefs.

Up for relief are the police chiefs of Sagay City and Calatrava town in the first district, EB Magalona and Murcia towns in the third district, La Carlota City, San Enrique and Pontevedra in the fourth district, La Castellana and Isabela towns in the fifth district, and Cauayan town in the sixth district.

Guara said the recommendations will be forwarded to the Comelec regional office and the Law Department of the Comelec in Manila, depending on the rank of the subject police chief.

Earlier, Guarra hinted of the possible relief of some police chiefs in the province due to various reasons ranging from over-familiarity in the area, as well as partiality.

He said some of the subject police chiefs are allegedly overstaying in their posts.

Guara also confirmed the suspension of Cadiz City police chief Superintendent Noel Mana-ay after his office received a copy of the Ombudsman order.

Manaay was a subject of a case filed by lawyer Rowena Guanzon, also a former mayor of Cadiz City.

Mana-ay's suspension was effective February 15 to August 15 without pay, Guara said.