SOME 75 chiefs of police stations under the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 were recommended for transfer because they failed to arrest majority of the notorious drug pushers in their areas.
Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, the deputy regional director for operations, said these officers will be rotated within Central Visayas.
PRO 7 Director Chief Supt. Noli Taliño has the final say on the officers’ relief.
Lawas further said there will be more police who will be transferred outside Central Visayas as part of Camp Crame’s internal cleansing program, which aims to stop illicit activities by reassigning officers to far-flung assignments.
Of the police station chiefs suggested for relief, Lawas said 39 officials are under Cebu Provincial Police Office and 18 are from Bohol.
Two officers are from Siquijor; eight from Cebu City; five from Mandaue City; and three from Lapu-Lapu City.
Lawas said 60 percent of the 126 police stations under PRO 7 failed.
Camp Crame has required all police stations to submit their lists of top 10 drug personalities in their jurisdictions. Then, the chiefs were instructed to capture 50 percent of their targets in six months.
“There are police stations who failed to arrest a single pusher,” said Lawas.
‘Very worried’
Asked about the continuing revamp in the police force, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said: “I’m really very worried about the City’s peace and order program. I really am.”
He gave the comment after another set of police officers in Central Visayas were relieved and transferred to different regions.
“I’m really crying for the city. We work hard to put things together, only for them to say, ‘OK, rewind and erase’,” he added.
Osmeña recently announced he would stop his anti-drug efforts following the relief of then PRO 7 Director Chief Supt. Patrocinio Comemdador Jr. and former Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Senior Supt. Benjamin Santos.
But Osmeña clarified yesterday that he did not abandon the police.
“Who abandoned who? I did not abandon my people, I’m sticking out with them, walang iwanan. I hope the people can understand how I feel. It’s not my loss, it’s the loss of the people of the City of Cebu.”
Monitor 46,000
During his visit last Monday, Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa said that he hoped the mayor would reconsider his decision for City Hall to stop giving allowances to police officers newly assigned to the city.
“They just need our money, that’s it,” the mayor said yesterday.
Osmeña has also stopped giving the police P50,000 in cash for every suspected drug pusher who got killed.
For its part, the PRO 7 said it will also review the profiles of some 46,000 pushers and users who surrendered to the police since July 1.
Lawas said that some investigators failed to extract information from pushers and junkies that they can use in future operations.
Those who surrendered are not cleared.
“We will continue to monitor them,” said Lawas.
Last Monday, the PRO 7 released to the media the lists of 29 police officers, five of whom are officials, who were sent to other regions. The farthest units are PRO Cagayan Valley in northern Luzon and PRO Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Some of the officers who have upcoming court appearances in Cebu and Bohol complained that they would have to spend more money for transportation.
‘Just work’
When asked about this matter, Lawas said the command group will address this problem.
“They just have to work,” he said. “They will be provided.”
Among those transferred were Senior Insp. Romeo Casildo Sentinta Jr., formerly of Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG); Senior Insp. Delfin Hontomin Bontuyan of Criminal Investigation and Detective Group 7; Senior Insp. Chuck Maghanoy Barandog of Cebu City Police Office (CCPO); Senior Insp. Ruel Logrono Burlat, also a former RSOG operative; and Senior Insp. Joel Ramos Corpuz of CCPO.
The rest of the officers who were transferred to other regions are: SPO3 Michael Rivera Ernie, SPO2 Raymundo Roda Supatan, SPO1 Francis Alen Serohdos Villamor, SPO1 Mikie Baruc Espina, SPO1 Richard Cyril Pamaong, and SPO1 Roy Carlo Elizondo Veloso.
The lower-ranking officers are PO3 Alex Ando Buanghog Jr., PO3 Philip Soco Plasus, PO3 Raymund Estella Aballe, PO3 Junbert Bihag Acosta, PO3 Cesar Sagayap Pandong, PO3 Christopher Cui Sanchez, PO3 Frederick Fernandez Ybanez, PO3 Mark Tago Aninon, PO3 Albert Noval Luardo, PO3 Ruben Requinto Quita, PO3 Bernard Aton Yiro, PO3 Marvin Malinao Sanson, PO3 Erwin Amarellento Piquero, PO3 Julius Blanco Aninon, PO2 Julius Campana Codilla, PO1 Michael Ruaya Maucesa, and PO1 Nelson Ceniza Nodalo.