DAVAO City Councilor Luna Acosta revealed that her office received petition papers from Dabawenyos early on July 24, 2024 asking the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the current administration to reinstate the 19 station commanders in Davao City that were relieved of their duty on July 8, 2024.
On Tuesday, July 23, Acosta said during the suspended rules of the 28th regular session of the 20th City Council the petitioners are also asking the government to replace acting city director PCol. Hansel Marantan because of his previous records.
“This is the petition of the people of Davao highlighting that the 19 station commanders that were relieved of their duty serve the people of Davao well and there was no reason for their removal,” she said.
Acosta presented three envelopes to the 20th council during their 28th regular session containing over a thousand signatures from Dabawenyos in the city. She requested the Police Regional Office-Davao (PRO-Davao) Regional Director, Police Brigadier General Nicolas D. Torre III to address the people’s demands.
Torre responded that his decision to relieve the 19 station commanders was based on empirical data and that he is requesting an executive session to present it.
“For me to present that I would ask for an executive session because it may be, it will be best thresh out in an executive session as you desire. If you’ll allow me to explain, there were empirical data that were the basis for the relief of 19 station commanders,” he said.
The regional director clarified that the personnel were not removed from the region but reassigned from Davao City to other parts of the region. He mentioned that he also transferred officers from other places in the Davao Region to serve the city.
He expressed confidence that the new set of commanders would improve services in their respective areas, noting that all new station commanders, except one, are from Davao.
Acosta answered that presenting the petition during the council session serves as advance notice to the DCPO and the Philippine National Police (PNP) that the People's Law Enforcement Board is looking into the “Protestang Petisyon.” She emphasized they would also inform the PRO about the upcoming proceedings.
In an ambush interview with the media, Torre said he would review the petition and consider possible actions. He added that decisions regarding commander replacements depend on multiple factors and would follow due process.
“The local government is so supportive of the deputies and I found areas for improvement in the current setup at DCPO so that’s the decision that I made, pinalitan natin sila ng mga taga-Davao din [I replaced them with people from Davao],” he said.
Upon assuming office, Torre said there wouldn’t be any revamp of officers, however, their performance will strictly be observed. But after two weeks, he determined they needed a new work environment.
Regarding concerns about demoralization among police personnel, Torre expressed interest in reviewing empirical data about the matter. He said he has a system in place so the police personnel have ample time for their families and themselves.
He said, “Baka magulat kayo na ayaw na akong paalisin ng mga yan (You might be surprised that they do not want me to leave anymore).”
The Office of Councilor Acosta informed SunStar Davao via text message that the petition papers with over a thousand signatures were delivered to their office in an envelope.
The message stated that through this petition, they aim to convey the sentiments of the Dabawenyos to the People’s Law Enforcement Board under the DILG and the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., urging the reinstatement of the 19 station commanders and the replacement of Maratan.
“Isip Dabawenyo, dili nato tugtan nga makompromiso ang segirudad sa syudad ug mahulog nga ‘wow mali’ ang mga palisiyang ipahamtang sa kagamhanan (As Dabawenyos, we will not allow the compromise of the city’s security and the implementation of flawed government policies),” written in the petition. RGP