De Leon named chief drugbuster

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Deputy Director General Edgar Aglipay has designated his mistah, Director Ricardo de Leon, as commander of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF).

Aglipay made the announcement yesterday after President Arroyo approved the PNP chief’s recommendation that De Leon, his classmate at the Philippine Military Academy, replace him as anti-drugs commander concurrent with the latter’s post as chief of the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime (PCTC).

The PNP chief also said that three regional directors at the tail-end of a PNP performance evaluation may be affected by the revamp set to be implemented when President Arroyo arrives on Saturday from Beijing, China.

Aglipay said he is conducting a continuous performance evaluation of field commanders "wherein the three regional directors with lowest performance rating will be relieved," he said.

The PNP chief implemented a major reshuffle at the PNP Command Group on Aug. 23 shortly after formally assuming his post.

Aglipay said he is awaiting the final approval of the Civil Service Commission and subsequently President Arroyo’s nod before the second wave of changes takes place. The PNP’s regional directors and provincial offices will be affected during the second revamp.