Monday, December 04, 2006 Lapu-Lapu chief defends rookie policemen
A POLICEMAN has been told to explain the absence of several rookie cops from Friday’s dry run of activities for the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit.
The Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) sent a memorandum to Supt. Louie Oppus of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Station. The memorandum ordered Oppus to ask the person tasked to inform the policemen of their assignments to submit a written explanation.
The rookie policemen are on their field training program (FTP) and are in Cebu to help secure the summit.
The memorandum said that the Operations Branch called up the Lapu-Lapu City Police Station and talked to SPO3 Mario Poblete, ordering him to send the FTP personnel to the Hilton Hotel and Resort, Mactan’s Shangri-La Resort and Spa and Plantation Bay Resort at 6 a.m. last Friday.
“However, all FTP’s were absent during the dry run,” the memorandum read.
The CPPO has ordered SPO3 Mario Poblete to explain why he failed to inform the field trainees. The memorandum said Poblete’s failure to submit an explanation can result in administrative charges against him.
Oppus, in an interview yesterday, said it was just a case of miscommunication.
‘Not absent’
“They were not absent. They were here at the police station,” he said.
He said they also got a call from the CPPO that the FTP personnel should be on standby at the station.
Oppus said he will be the one to answer the memorandum because Poblete is not in charge of the FTPs.
Meanwhile, some police stations will have to make do without their patrol jeeps as these will be needed for the summit.
With the activation of Task Force Cebu, the police chiefs of Talisay City, Minglanilla, San Fernando, Carcar, Sibonga, Argao, Alcoy, Balamban, Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela and Danao City were asked to bring their respective patrol jeeps to the CPPO headquarters yesterday morning.
The drivers of the vehicles were told to bring personal effects good for 12 days.
The chosen cities and towns have other police vehicles and can still respond to alarms in their areas during the summit. (MEA)
