Lapid threatens to bolt Lakas if Berroya isn’t booted out

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga - Gov. Lito Lapid has reportedly threatened to bolt the ruling Lakas party if Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Berroya is not booted out as Central Luzon police director.

Lapid and members of his family flew to Hong Kong yesterday, allegedly together with suspected gambling lord Bong Pineda, on their way to the United States following skirmishes with Berroya on who should be Pampanga’s new police director.

Lapid was said to have told Vice Gov. Mikey Arroyo that he would abandon Lakas after Berroya ignored Senior Superintendent Efren Alamares, the governor’s choice for the Pampanga police post.

The other night, Senior Superintendent Arturo Cacdac, Angeles City police chief, was sworn in unexpectedly as the new Pampanga police director, replacing Senior Superintendent Art Pacia who, in turn, was designated Angeles police chief.

Alamares, who was told a week ago that he was to become provincial police director last Thursday, was surprised by the move, saying Cacdac was not even in the list of Camp Crame’s three recommendees for Lapid’s consideration.

A source said Berroya chose Cacdac in alleged collusion with someone closely identified with "Ngongo," a suspected gambling lord who has taken over jueteng operations in areas that allegedly used to be under Pineda’s control.

Berroya, however, vehemently denied that jueteng had anything to do with the controversy.

"It’s just that Lapid had recommended one police officer after another and it was confusing so I had to appoint Cacdac only as officer-in-charge since the elections are nearing," he said.

Berroya cited Cacdac’s experience in anti-insurgency operations in Pampanga as one of the reasons why he chose him.

Camp Crame’s list of recommendees, including Alamares, however, did not reach Lapid until Cacdac assumed as provincial police director the other night.

Berroya, however, claimed it was he who had included Alamares in the list of nominees.

Contrary to Alamares’ claim that at least 19 Pampanga mayors had endorsed him, Berroya said many mayors had objected to his (Alamares’) appointment.

The STAR tried to contact Lapid by phone yesterday, but his aide said the governor had boarded a plane bound for Hong Kong. One of those who saw him at the airport claimed that Pineda was included in Lapid’s party.

Some provincial officials reportedly sought the intervention of Vice Gov. Arroyo in the controversy but he reportedly begged off, saying he wanted to devote more time to his June 24 wedding in Lubao town.

Berroya said Lapid agreed the other night to allow him to appoint Cacdac.

He said Cacdac was appointed merely as officer-in-charge until a permanent Pampanga police director is chosen.

He, however, said Alamares would probably be out of contention because he seemed to lack a masteral degree for the post.

Alamares headed the Angeles Metropolitan District Command under the defunct Philippine Constabulary. He was also a former director of the Narcotics Command in Central Luzon, and an official at the Philippine National Police’s Directorate for Intelligence at Camp Crame.