ALLEGATIONS that connected them to illegal drugs may have led to the relief of 28 police officers under the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7.
Camp Crame has ordered their transfer to the national headquarters’ personnel holding and accounting unit, while they face an investigation.
A police official, who requested not to be named, said that the officers were allegedly accepting money from big-time drug personalities, one of whom is suspected drug lord Franz Sabalones.
From July 1 until Oct. 24, another official said, 123 officers were relieved from PRO Central Visayas.
Senior Supt. Renato Dugan, the Regional Personnel and Human Resources Development Division (RPHRDD) 7 chief, said the latest order was issued last Oct. 21 and did not state why eight police commissioned officers (PCOs) and 20 police non-commissioned officers (PNCOs) were relieved.
Director Fernando Mendez Jr., chief of the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management, signed the order.
Some of the officers relieved are from the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), Cebu City Police Office, and Mandaue City Police Office.
Their ranks range from senior inspector to superintendent. One of them is about to retire.
One of the PNCOs told Sun.Star Cebu he was stunned after learning he was included in the recent batch of relieved officers.
When asked who may have reported his name to Camp Crame, the policeman said he had no idea, adding, “Mahibaw-an ra na (I will find out who it was) later.”
CPPO Director Senior Supt. Eric Noble, in a radio dyAB report, said there are three officials under him who were relieved, one of whom was active in the drive against the illegal drugs.
Dugan did not name the police officers nor release the list to the reporters, saying he was not authorized to do so.
The PRO 7 has a new protocol of not releasing the names of the officers pending the results of an inquiry.
Dugan assured the public that their drive against illegal drugs will not be affected, saying they have enough personnel and they will find replacements.