THE police official who snatched a reporter’s cellphone during the Traslacion of the Black Nazarene on January 9, 2020 has been promoted as part of the Philippine National Police (PNP) revamp.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Debold Sinas said Brigadier General Nolasco Bathan was relieved as the Southern Police District director and assigned as the NCRPO’s deputy regional director for operations (DRDO).
He said the movement was prompted by the appointment of NCRPO’s DRDO, Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, as the new director of the Central Visayas police office following the relief of Brigadier General Valeriano de Leon.
“General Bathan was relieved not because of anything. It just so happened kasama s’ya sa movement ng PNP,” Sinas said Friday, February 7.
“That is a promotion for him,” he added.
Bathan will be replaced by Colonel Emmanuel Peralta.
Bathan was the police official who snatched the phone of GMA 7 reporter Jun Veneracion, who was taking videos of the commotion between the police and the devotees as the procession passed the Ayala Bridge.
Veneracion said he found out after checking his phone that the video he took of the commotion had been deleted.
Bathan apparently lied after Veneracion recovered the deleted video in the recently deleted album.
Sinas said Bathan and Veneracion were able to settle things and the case was already closed.
“Wala naman major infractions doon, The case was closed at nakausap na din niya si Jun Veneracion tapos I think tinanggap naman ang sorry niya at hindi na siya nagbigay ng statement si Jun and we are very happy and thankful na in-accept niya ang apology ni Bathan,” said Sinas.
Meanwhile, three chiefs of police and seven police station commanders in the metro were sacked from post for failing to curb illegal activities in their areas of responsibility.
Sinas refused to identify the three chiefs of police who were relieved over command responsibility pending the coordination with the concerned local government executives.
The seven police station commanders who were relieved were Police Major Fortunato Ecle, chief of Quezon City Police District Station 7; Police Major Joebi Astucia of Caloocan Police Community Precinct Station 3; Police Major Merben Bryan of Caloocan Police Community Precinct Station 5; Police Captain Rommel Bulan of Pasay Police Community Precinct Station 1; Police Major Marvin Oloan of Pasay Police Community Precinct Station 3; Police Major Christopher Mercado of Muntinlupa Police Community Precinct Station 2 and Police Major Elmer Gutierrez of Muntinlupa Police Community Precinct Station 2. (SunStar Philippines)