Following controversial transfer to Cebu: Capa ‘unexpectedly’ promoted to general

CEBU, Philippines - He had the least expectation, but the former official of Police Regional Office-7 who underwent a controversial change of post, has finally achieved “his childhood dream.”

Senior Superintendent Conrad Capa, who served as PRO-7’s Deputy Director for Operations from 2014 to 2015, is now a general in rank after President Benigno Aquino III signed his promotion order on Wednesday.

Capa had been in the limelight after his controversial transfer to PRO-7 March last year.

Then PNP chief Alan Purisima ordered Capa’s transfer a week after Task Force Tugis, which Capa led, arrested top fugitive businessman Delfin Lee.

Delfin Lee was wanted for syndicated estafa charges over the alleged use of ghost borrowers to obtain P6.6 billion loans from Pag-IBIG Fund in 2000.

Capa had been assigned at PRO-7 without any clear reason, he said, although Purisima had said it was actually a promotion, a statement Capa refused to accept.

During his interview with Cebu media on the day that he paid a courtesy call to PRO-7 director Prudencio Tom Bañas, Capa said his assignment was not a promotion for his part.

If he was actually promoted, he could have been given the rank of chief superintendent or a police general, he said.

This reaction of Capa reached the ears of President Aquino, and in the latter’s State of the Nation Address last year, openly criticized the police official.

Because of this, Capa no longer expected to get his promotion.

After PRO-7, Capa was assigned as officer-in-charge of Cebu City Police Office before he was assigned as the executive officer of the Directorate for Police Intelligence-Visayas.

During his stint as DRDO of PRO-7, Capa instituted reforms and ordered all police stations in the region to conduct at least two anti-illegal drug operations every month.

This after Bañas made a stern warning that he would not tolerate police stations that would fail in his campaign against illegal drugs.

When he assumed as the acting chief of CCPO, Capa reportedly managed to curb the crime rate in the city through the different anti-criminality strategies that were employed by police stations and special units under him.

The police official said that this year, he enjoyed working especially during the Sinulog Festival, saying he never thought that working during the revelry was so much fun.

But not long after Sinulog, Capa received an order from Camp Crame reassigning him to DIPO-Visayas.

In a text message, Capa said he is thankful that he finally got his childhood dream, which is to become a general.

His dream, Capa said, is the same dream of almost all cadets upon entering the Philippine National Police Academy - a dream so elusive but not impossible, he says.

Capa took his oath at the Malacañan Palace Tuesday before President Aquino, the last requirement before he will be given the rank of chief superintendent.  (FREEMAN)