Reshuffle looms at PNP

Barely two days after Interior and Local Government Secretary Angelo Reyes revealed his priority concern for the Philippine National Police (PNP), a major reshuffle is now in the offing, affecting at least 10 key positions in the police organization.

Sources said Chief Superintendent Victor Luga is slated to be designated as chief of the PNP Directorate for Plans while Chief Superintendent Restituto Mosqueda, erstwhile chief of the PNP Crime Laboratory, will be appointed as Region V police director (Bicol).

Mosqueda will replace Chief Superintendent Jaime Lasar, who will be moved to the PNP Directorate for Police and Community Relations. "The orders are being drafted. It is a matter of time when this is implemented," an official said.

A major reshuffle is expected to be implemented at the PNP in the next few days until President Arroyo names the new PNP chief who will replace police chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., sources said.

The revamp is expected to affect regional directors and other key positions in the national headquarters.

The reshuffle came a day after Reyes aired his views on the issue of the changing of the guards at the PNP. Reyes said the choice of the next PNP chief is the "sole and exclusive" prerogative of the President.

Last Monday, Reyes hinted of a possible reshuffle at the police organization, which he said is part of the "natural course" of events.

"On the reported so-called revamp, you know this is the usual administrative routine. Some people are transferred, others re-assigned. We also have some people retiring. So when you have events like that, you will see some people being shuffled around. But that’s not necessarily a revamp, that is the natural course of events so you know people take over and some are reassigned," Reyes said after emerging from a command conference at Camp Crame.

Reyes stressed that neutralizing police scalawags involved in extortion activities is the main goal of his anti-criminality campaign. He added that the illegal numbers game, jueteng, is not on the top priority list. Ensuring peace and order in the country is more important than eradicating jueteng, he said.