Robredo freezes turnover of command of 10 PNP officials

MANILA, Philippines - The leadership of the Philippine National Police (PNP) was forced to stop and revoke the supposed turnover of command of at least 10 ranking police officials on orders of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, sources revealed yesterday.

A high ranking official told The STAR that the PNP leadership had to follow Robredo’s orders to stop the implementation of the reshuffle without his approval to prevent a vacuum in the police leadership with the retirement of police officials holding key positions.

The supposed movement was triggered by the optional early retirement of ranking police officials belonging to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1976 led by PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa.

Verzosa opted for early retirement on Wednesday, 101 days ahead of his 56th birthday on Dec. 25.

One of the officials affected by the recalled reshuffle said the mass turnover at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame last Thursday was called off and their relief orders from their previous positions had been virtually revoked.

“We were told to go back to our previous positions,” the police official.

“Apparently the turnover did not push through,” he said.

Robredo, in his capacity as chairman of National Police Commission (Napolcom), sent a letter addressed to Verzosa last Sept. 8 that no reshuffle would be implemented without his approval.

The DILG wrote the letter to Verzosa stemming from the complaint by a group of junior police officers that lamented the alleged lack of qualification and training of some of their senior officials for the posts.

It was also gathered that the “aborted” reshuffle included Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Director Leon Nilo de la Cruz, Directorate for Operations (DO) chief Director Josefino Cataluña, and Southern Mindanao Police Regional director Chief Superintendent Pedro Tango.

The STAR gathered Dela Cruz was supposed to go to the Directorate for Information Technology and Communication Management (DICTM), and CIDG would be taken over by Cataluña. Tango, on the other hand, would go to Directorate for Integrated Police Operations-Western Mindanao.

But all the three police officials have less than a year in the service, thus under Republic Act 6975, or the act establishing the PNP under the DILG, and RA 8551 or the PNP Reform and Reorganization Law, they should not be promoted in rank and in position, the junior officers pointed out in an open letter.

Robredo agreed by blocking the revamp but said President Aquino had special instructions to DILG Undersecretary for Peace and Order Rico Puno to supervise the PNP.

Robredo pointed out the “special instruction” given to Puno indicated that he was not in charge of the PNP, therefore he has no liability in the botched Manila bus hostage taking rescue operations that resulted in the death of eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage taker.

The aborted reshuffle, which was supposed to be implemented last Thursday, was due to the retirement of Chief Superintendent Abner Cabalquinto, head of the PNP’s Directorate for Personnel and Records Management, and Chief Superintendent Luizo Ticman, chief of the PNP’s Directorate for Logistics.

Both were classmates of Verzosa in PMA Class 1976.

Under the “aborted” revamp, Cabalquinto was supposed to be replaced by Chief Superintendent Jaime Milla while Ticman’s place will be taken over Chief Superintendent George Piano.

With Robredo’s letter, Milla failed to assume the DPRM post and instead Cabalquinto’s deputy Chief Superintendent Wilhelm Barlis, took over in acting capacity.

Instead of Piano, Ticman, who will have his retirement honors today, will be replaced by his deputy Felipe Rojas, also in acting capacity.

President Aquino, on the other hand, has yet to announce the next PNP chief to succeed Verzosa.

The President is set to make the announcement during the turnover ceremonies of the PNP tomorrow, Malacañang said.

Mr. Aquino took over the PNP from the DILG following the Manila bus hostage incident fiasco that put the national police force into international shame.

Police officials remain tight-lipped on who will possibly replace Verzosa but several names that included Deputy Director General Raul Bacalzo have cropped up.

Aside from Bacalzo, other front-runners are Deputy Director General Perfecto Palad and Director Benjamin Balarmino. All the three belong to PMA Class 1977.

Bacalzo, the first member of PMA Class ’77 to get a star-rank, is a seasoned crime investigator and top-notch lawyer who placed 12th in the 1984 Bar examination.

He used to head the Director for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) and initiated technical enhancements in police investigative procedures.