Osmeña eyes Nerez for PRO-7 director

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña wanted Chief Superintendent Lani-O Nerez to be the new director of Police Regional Office-7.

In yesterday’s press conference, Osmeña said among the three candidates to replace PRO-7 director Federico Terte, he preferred Nerez because of his records when he was with the regional police office.

“To me Nerez is fine, whereas I do not know about the other two,” Osmeña said.

But the issue of choosing or endorsing the new police regional director is not the priority of the city at this time, the mayor added.

Councilor Agustus Pe, chairman of the City Council Committee on Peace and Order, said the mayor had already recommended Nerez to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“Nerez is from Cebu, yes we know him personally and he knows his turf,” Pe said.

Other candidates for the top post of PRO-7 include C. Supt. Ireneo Bacolod and C. Supt. Josefino Cataluna.

Bacolod and Cataluna were reportedly Terte’s classmates and are one-year ahead of Nerez.

Bacolod, who hailed from Bantayan Island, was also among those nominated to replace former PRO-7 director C. Supt. Ronald Roderos. Cataluna is the chief of the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG).

Nerez, on the other hand, was the former chief of the Regional Mobile Group (RMG) and director of Cebu City Police Office. — Ferliza C. Contratista/LPM (THE FREEMAN)