Malabon police chief relieved over feud

The tension prevailing at the Malabon City Hall over the one-year suspension being served by Mayor Amado Vicencio and the assumption of Vice Mayor Mark Allan Jay Yambao as acting mayor has apparently seeped down the bureaucratic line after two high ranking police officers identified with both officials figured in a near shootout late Tuesday afternoon at the city’s police station.

Although the official statement on the cause of the incident was described as a "mere misunderstanding," city hall sources said loyalty to either mayors, suspended and acting, was the real reason. The near-shooting incident was quickly denied by Northern Police District Office (NPDO) director Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco Jr.

"There was no such near shootout. It was just a little misunderstanding that got a little out of hand," said Franco. The NPDO chief, however, said he temporarily relieved from his post Malabon City police chief Superintendent Pedro Ramos, who is a known Vicencio man. Replacing him as office-in-charge of the city police is Superintendent Mariel Magaway, formerly of the Maritime Command.

Former Malabon police chief, Superintendent Benjamin Cabiltes, the other protagonist identified with Yambao, was yanked out of the NPDO and now holds the post of Special Operations Group, City Hall Detachment chief, a unit reporting directly to Yambao.

City hall sources who declined to be identified, told The STAR that Cabiltes allegedly hauled off to jail a trusted man of police chief Ramos — an "uncoordinated act" which got the latter’s goat. At about 3:15 p.m. last Tuesday, Ramos and Cabiltes crossed paths at the police headquarters, where the former accosted the latter for allegedly "bypassing" him.

Cabiltes allegedly drew his service firearm, but was quickly disarmed by the bulkier and taller Ramos. The two were pacified by cooler heads. Franco said he has ordered an investigation to determine the truth behind the incident.

As the city hall offices were closed in observance of the Eid al-Fitr, the last day observance of Ramadan, the city officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

It can be recalled that Cabiltes, who was called in earlier by Yambao to replace Ramos as his police chief, ordered Vicencio to relinquish his office to Yambao in a confrontation at the city hall in April 2003 when Vicencio was suspended by the Office of the President for 60 days, the mayor’s second preventive suspension in his third and last term.

Earlier, Ramos was quoted as contemplating to file charges against Cabiltes. – With Pete Laude