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Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Cebu City mayor rejects 5 police chief aspirants
CEBU CITY -- Mayor Tomas Osmeña warned Cebu City will have an "adversarial relationship" with the Philippine National Police (PNP) if it is going to insist on its practice of appointing classmates and Philippine Military Academy (PMA) graduates to plum posts.
Both the mayor and City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem, vice chairman of the council committee on police, were surprised by Acting Cebu City Police Chief Melvin Gayotin's sudden relief, which was set to take effect last May 16 yet.
"I will not allow Cebu City to serve as accommodation for PMA classmates. I'm making a very strong statement. We're not just going to be another doormat for other people," Osmeña said.
He said he received a list of five police officials from whom he was supposed to pick Gayotin's replacement.
"It stated PMA, PMA, PMA, PMA. No Cebuanos. It went straight to the basura (garbage)," he said.
Gayotin is a Philippine National Police Academy graduate.
Assistance
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) enjoys logistical support and cash assistance from City Hall.
However, Gayotin is not out yet.
His transfer to Western Visayas was "held in abeyance" after newly installed Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 director Silverio Alarcio Jr., asked Camp Crame not to implement the order.
Alarcio, in an interview over radio dyRF Tuesday morning, said he was just as surprised as everyone else to learn that Camp Crame ordered Gayotin's transfer to the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 headquarters in Iloilo City.
Alarcio is in Malaysia attending a counter-terrorism conference.
He said he received a text message from a news reporter Monday night asking him if this was true.
This prompted him to verify the information with PNP Director General Arturo Lomibao.
The order, a copy of which was shown to Sun.Star Cebu, stated that Gayotin was among 11 policemen reassigned to other regions.
His name was at the top of the list.
Short route
The order, signed by Directorate for Personnel and Records Management Nicolas Pasinos Jr., was dated May 11. The relief took effect May 16.
Special Order 1441 also stated that Gayotin and the other policemen travel the short route either by land, water or air transportation.
Alarcio said Lomibao granted his request after he justified why he needed Gayotin at his post with the preparations for the coming Asean summit in December.
He said they needed to maintain the good relationship with the local governments and all the police officers in the area for the big event.
In his press conference, Osmeña said: "How many bombings were in Cebu? How many bombings in Manila, in Davao? And they're going to tell us what to do? Because they think they're better than us? They will bring somebody who does not know the difference between Sanciangko and Junquera and he will be an effective chief?"
Alarcio also said Osmeña had nothing to do with his decision to ask Lomibao to postpone the order.
Not consulted
While he admitted it was Osmeña who recommended him for the PRO 7 post, he said he did not ask the mayor for help in getting the position.
He agreed, though, that the manner in which the relief was carried out was not done correctly because he was not even consulted as regional director.
"Nakakagulat (It's surprising)," he said.
Gayotin, for his part, declined to make comments, although he said he did not know of Alarcio's request to hold his relief.
Alarcio believes Camp Crame decided to move Gayotin because he has been CCPO director in an acting capacity for two years now.
He was designated officer-in-charge last May 5, 2004, after Superintendent Cecil Ezra Sandalo was reassigned.
To discourage familiarity with persons in his area of responsibility, a police officer's tour of duty is limited to two years.
Under-ranked
Aside from that, Gayotin is under-ranked for the position of city director in a highly urbanized city.
However, he is due for promotion to senior superintendent.
He was already interviewed by the Senior Officers Placement and Promotions Board in Manila last month.
Alarcio said, though, that Gayotin could not hold the post permanently, as he is bound to "go up the ladder" with his upcoming promotion.
But he hopes any changes will be done only after the Asean summit.
Osmeña requested Jakosalem to intervene after he heard about Gayotin's relief.
Jakosalem sent a text message to President Arroyo, his wedding sponsor, and Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor at 7 p.m. last Monday.
Godmother
"Good afternoon, ninang. We just learned that our city police chief, Superintendent Melvin Gayotin, has been ordered relieved. Mayor Tommy and I are requesting for his retention because he has been doing well in crime prevention and anti-terrorist activities," read his text.
"Latest example was the attempted bombing of (a mall) when the bomb was defused and the two terrorists were killed due to the prompt response of his men," the message further stated.
The mayor did not categorically say that their efforts caused Gayotin's continued stay in CCPO, but said it was "maybe because I complained."
Jakosalem, in an interview, said that while he got no response from Arroyo, he learned that the relief order was canceled.
Arroyo was in Cebu Tuesday to witness the Episcopal ordination of Monsignor Francisco Padilla as archbishop and papal nuncio to Papua New Guinea and the induction of 23 new Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry officials. (Sun.Star Cebu)
(May 24, 2006 issue)
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