THE new head of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7, P/Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, was the leader of the team that arrested self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in 2016.
Ferro was still a colonel at the time of Espinosa’s arrest and the chief of the now-defunct Anti-Illegal Drugs Group. Espinosa is the son of Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa, who was killed in a police operation inside the jail facility in Baybay City in November 2016. Ferro had also served in Davao.
In a press conference on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, Ferro vowed to sack a commander if the latter’s three subordinates, the police station chiefs, are relieved from their posts for either poor performance or violation of the organization’s regulations.
Ferro started his official duties on Friday. He replaced P/Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, who was transferred to the office of P/Gen. Archie Gamboa, the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, in Camp Crame.
Ferro on Friday was given arrival honors at the Camp Sergio Osmeña, the PRO 7 headquarters in Cebu City. A turnover-of-command ceremony between Ferro and de Leon will also be at the Camp Sergio Osmeña on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Ferro thanked President Rodrigo Duterte and Gamboa for trusting him to lead the PRO 7. He promised he would push the PRO 7 to become the best regional police office in the country.
He said his personnel should only do the right things, adding that he will implement Gamboa’s three-strike policy—the city or provincial police directors will be transferred to other assignments if three of their police station chiefs are relieved.
Ferro said he will be strict in implementing the President’s policy on not allowing police officers to enter any gambling house and bar.
The police official also reminded his personnel not to engage in any criminal activity, and he added that there will be no letup in the internal cleansing within the PRO 7.
Ferro will not also allow his subordinates to play golf on weekdays.
Last January, Camp Crame relieved three PRO 7 officials after they were caught playing golf during working hours. They were P/Col. Dennis Artil, comptroller; P/Lt. Colonel Dennis Bad-ang, finance service chief; and P/Lt. Col. Glenn Mayam, chief of the Drug Enforcement Group 7.
This could well be the reason for de Leon’s relief, but the order from Camp Crame did not state the reason for de Leon’s relief last Thursday, Feb. 6. De Leon replaced P/Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas as the PRO 7 director in October 2019 after the latter was appointed as the new chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO). Ferro was the NCRPO’s deputy regional director for operations when the order to replace de Leon came out last Thursday.
Ferro said he will reduce the working hours of the police officers from 12 to eight, so they will be effective in their duties. (AYB / KAL)