Treñas recommends relief of 2 police chiefs
It seems city cops are caught in a cross fire in the raging political rift between two camps here. Effort to relieve two chiefs of police is underway courtesy of Mayor Jerry Treñas for the reason that he finds the said chiefs “ineffective.”
Mayor Jerry Treñas said he has already met with Police Regional Office 6 director Chief Supt. Isagani Cuevas and Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) director Sr. Supt. Melvin Mongcal and discussed the relief of Senior Inspector Danilo de los Santos, chief of police of Molo police station, and Senior Inspector Alexander Rosales of La Paz police station.
Treñas said he personally requested Cuevas and Mongcal to relieve the two chiefs of police. He cited the ineffectiveness of the two police officials in their functions as the ground of his recommendation.
Under the Local Government Code, the chief executive has authority over the local police. However, because of the election period, all assignments and transfer of police personnel are subject for the approval of the Comelec because of the upcoming May elections.
The movement of personnel is prohibited 60 days before the actual date of election and 60 days after the day of election.
The mayor said De los Santos failed to solve last year’s alleged shooting incident that occurred in front of the house of a political leader of Vice Mayor Jed Mabilog in Molo. He said De los Santos did not initiate any action to solve the shooting incident.
While, Treñas attributed Rosales’s ineffectiveness for his failure to arrest PO1 Ronnie Refugio after the cop who reportedly harassed four of the mayor’s children while conducting a relief operation to the fire victims of Barangay Nabitasan.
Treñas stressed it was very clear on the video footages taken by two local television stations that Refugio was still around when the police responded to the call relative to the incident.
It was not immediately known on whether the top officials of the police have referred the mayor’s request to the Comelec regarding the relief of two chiefs of police.
Meanwhile, De los Santos and Rosales are ready to vacate their assignments in case Treñas’s recommendation gets favorable result from the Comelec.
