Police chiefs of 2 Cagayan Valley municipalities axed

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – Two municipal police chiefs in Cagayan Valley have been relieved from their posts, one for negligence and the other amid a series of robberies in his turf. 

Reports identified the sacked police officials as Chief Inspectors Gabriel Mucay and Peter Cambri, police chiefs of Solana town in Cagayan, and this capital town, respectively.

Mucay, according to reports, was removed from his post effective last Monday for negligence as a result of last month’s fire that gutted parts of the Solana town police headquarters.

The blaze, caused by an unattended charcoal stove, destroyed at least P500,000 worth of property and equipment.

Chief Inspector Ramil Alipio took over Mucay’s post.

Earlier, Cambri was sacked following a rash of robberies in this capital town in recent weeks, including the recent looting of the St. Dominic Cathedral, just a stone’s throw away from the municipal police station.

Cambri’s relief also came barely three days after the killing of Arlyne Fernandez, finance services director of the Nueva Vizcaya State University, inside the school compound here last Aug. 15.

Senior Superintendent Elmer Beltejar, Nueva Vizcaya police director, however, said the replacement of Cambri by Chief Inspector Warlito Jagto of the public safety company, was just a regular movement of police personnel.

Nueva Vizcaya Gov. Luisa Cuaresma herself has called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) to stop the killings.

“Tell us what you need (to solve these crimes) and we will provide (these to you) as long as it will address the increasing (spate) of criminality in our province,” said Cuaresma in her message in last Monday’s 110th PNP anniversary here.

Cuaresma said the provincial government will not allow terror to reign in this usually peaceful province by letting these criminals go scot-free, giving an impression that authorities are not serious or incompetent in going after them.

The Fernandez killing occurred just as police have yet to identify those behind the slay of former Sangguniang Kabataan provincial federation head Joemel Cacal who was waylaid by two motorcycle-riding gunmen along the national highway here last March 31.

Cacal, 35, who also served as ex-officio member of the provincial board, was once an aide-driver of the late human rights lawyer Ernesto Salunat, whose killing last year remains unsolved.