PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Camilo Cascolan on Wednesday, September 16, 2020, denied targeting allies of former PNP chiefs in the massive revamp.
“Actually I had a lot of people under Generals (Oscar) Albayalde and (Archie) Gamboa and I will tell they are at the right position right now. I even promoted them to chief of staff. Ask the people around you. I think if would be fair to me for everybody to seek out whom I placed,” he said in a television interview.
Cascolan admitted that some police officers were demoralized after their transfer.
He stressed that there was nothing personal in the reorganization.
“I think there is only one person who was demoralized because he was not able to understand the reorganization of the PNP. You know when you were assigned in a certain position, you just have to accept it and (don’t) ask why. It's not even a demotion or what, it's even a two-star position for them and it would be a three-star position for them. That's the DIPO because we need people who are snappy, good and has the moral ascendancy and service reputation to lead the DIPO,” he said.
Around 12 police officers were included in the reshuffle.
Cascolan said Brigadier General Albert Ferro asked to be retained as Central Visayas Police Regional Office director.
Ferro’s reassignment as acting director of Integrated Police Operations (DIPO) for Southern Luzon was cancelled on the day that it was supposed to take effect.
On Monday, Cascolan explained the reason for the cancellation of some reassignments.
“Well, with regard to that, sometimes they have tasks that they need to finish in their stations. We took cognizance of that and we also have to respect that especially if it is very important. Those jobs that they have to do in the field, they cannot just leave it and that is one thing we have considered,” he said.
Meantime, the PNP chief revealed that some of the reassignments were “midnight appointments” by his predecessor, retired general Archie Gamboa.
He was referring to PNP Health Service Director Herminio Tadeo Jr. who was supposed to be transferred to Finance Service but instead Cascolan assigned him as the deputy of the PNP's Directorate for Information and Communications Technology Management.
Cascolan said they were also evaluating the performance of National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Debold Sinas who he said deserves a promotion.
“Well, until now there's no replacement. We have to evaluate him properly. The guy deserves also an evaluation and of course, a promotion too. He has done good things and that's all really I can say," he said.
”I think he needs to be up to the Directorial Staff or a certain position that is fit most especially for him," he added.
He said he was eyeing Calabarzon Police Director Vicente Danao as Sinas’ successor.
Cascolan said he was also planning to recommend to Secretary of Interior and Local Government Eduardo Año the promotion of at least five senior police officials to the rank of three-star generals.
He did not name them.
Cascolan is set to retire on November 10, 2020, around two months after he was appointed as PNP chief following Gamboa’s retirement. (SunStar Philippines)