Razon aide new Nueva Ecija top cop

CABANATUAN CITY – A close aide of Philippine National Police chief director General Avelino Razon Jr. is the new provincial police director of Nueva Ecija after Senior Superintendent Agripino Javier was relieved prior to a hastily arranged turnover ceremony Friday that was marred by reports that Razon lobbied for his aide and the no-show of Gov. Aurelio Umali.

Senior Superintendent Napoleon Taas, a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s Class ’84, formally took over as OIC-provincial police director, replacing Javier who had held the post for barely six months.

Taas is a known aide of Razon who allegedly lobbied for the former’s designation over the objections of Umali.

The governor has been batting for Javier’s retention due what he said was the drastic improvement in the peace and order situation in the province during Javier’s abbreviated stint.

Taas was supposed to assume his post yesterday but the turnover rites were moved one day ahead which surprised even Javier.

The turnover rites were presided by Senior Superintendent Alfredo Cabal­les, PNP assistant regional director for Central Luzon, and provincial administrator Jimmy Pallanan who represented Umali.

Caballes, who represented regional police director Chief Superintendent Errol Pan told The STAR that they were ordered by higher authorities to immediately install Taas.

“We have orders from the personnel division in Camp Crame to preside over the turnover ceremony,” he said, without pinpointing who issued the order.

He downplayed speculations that Umali snubbed the turnover rites, saying he was told the governor was indisposed.

Taas’ assumption ended weeks of speculations as to who would replace Javier who got embroiled in a number of controversies, including the passage by the provincial chapter of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) of a resolution declaring him persona non grata for allegedly bypassing municipal mayors in their choice of police station commanders in their respective jurisdictions and his getting entangled in a running feud with San Antonio Mayor Arvin Salonga.

Last week, Javier was again dragged into another controversy when Salonga, the provincial LMP president, linked his wife Lani to the alleged illegal hauling of quarry sources in the town.

Salonga has also linked Mrs. Javier, whom he defeated in the mayoral elections last May, to the killing of Alex Silva, secretary of the Sangguniang Bayan.

Javier himself admitted that his removal from the province is a welcome relief, saying his tenure was made untenable by the recent rash of controversies.

Over the past two months, several names have been floated as Javier’s likely replacement among them Taas, and Senior Superintendents Manny Gaerlan, Mao Aplasca and Edgardo Divina, a member of PMA Batch ’77, of which Umali is an honorary member.

Under Republic Act 6975, the PNP Law, the governor may choose from three nominees recommended by the Senior Officer’s Promotions and Placement Board (SOPPB).

Gaerlan, former chief of the Regional Mobile Group (RMG), is now the provincial director of Bataan. Divina is with the Police Security Protection Office (PSPO), while Aplasca is assigned with the PNP Directorate for Logistics.

A member of the Bravo sub-committee of the SOPPB, who sought anonymity, told The STAR that Divina was originally in the short list of recommendees to the provincial directorship but his name was deleted by the “mother board” of the SOPPB because at the time he was recommended, he was just a police superintendent and was, thus, unqualified to become provincial director.