Treñas awaits list of cops for ICPO chief post
Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 has yet to furnish Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas the list of three recommendees for the post of city police director.
Treñas said he has not received any communication from PRO 6 director Chief Supt. Isagani Cuevas regarding their recommendees to replace Sr. Supt. Melvin Mongcal.
The Senior Officers Placement and Promotion Board (SOPPB) of the PNP hierarchy will send three names of police officials with a rank of senior superintendent for the chief executive to choose from.
Mongcal is temporarily replaced by Sr. Supt. Eugenio Espejo on an OIC capacity pending the assumption of a new city police director. The relief and assignment of the police officials is subject for approval of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) because of the May 2010 elections.
Moncal’s relief was triggered by several incidents in the city involving the mayor’s children and their family business. The ouster of the former city director also paved way for the relief of chiefs of police of Molo police station and La Paz police station.
In Molo police station, Senior Inspector Jay Malong replaced Senior Inspector Danilo de los Santos while Chief Inspector Giovanni Musico assumed as La Paz police station vice Senior Inspector Alexander Rosales.
The mayor called for De los Santos’s relief after he allegedly failed to solve the incident involving a leader of Vice Mayor Jed Mabilog, his running mate, while Rosales’s relief was triggered by the Nabitasan incident where Treñas’s children were harassed by a policeman assigned as security detail of former Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr.
Treñas said he wants the next city director to be non-partisan, could not be bought by money and could not be intimidated by politicians. Earlier, he called on the police to remain professional this election.
Meantime, the police are preparing a security plan to protect the candidates and same time maintain peace and order as the local campaign period starts next week.
The campaign period for local candidates officially starts on Mar 26 though most of the local candidates have started to hold their caucuses and posted their campaign materials in designated poster campaign areas and non-designated Comelec poster areas.
Initially, the police are ordered to secure the candidates’ safety on the rally sites and on their way to their caucus venues. Proper security measures should be taken in different prospective rally venues. Road security measures should also be taken to thwart any plans of saboteurs.
