Capa to serve ‘larger area’

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Police Office director Senior Superintendent Conrad Capa already received an order promoting him as the executive officer of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations (DIPO) for the Visayas.

With this, Capa will now be serving a wider area that includes Eastern, Central and Western Visayas.

Before his promotion, he briefly served Cebu City for three months.

Capa said he is thankful to the Philippine National Police for considering him in this promotion.

He said DIPO is the counterpart of Central Command; it is an area command but with a wider area of coverage.

As reported, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama believes that Capa's relief was politically motivated because of the upcoming elections.

When sought for comment, however, Capa said he doesn't think that politics was behind it.

He said it was a mere promotion.

Police Regional Office-7 director Prudencio Tom Bañas said he appointed Sr. Superintendent Marciano Batiancela Jr. to a concurrent position as the officer-in-charge of the CCPO.

He added that he already talked with Batiancela and gave him his marching orders.

Mayor Rama is currently attending the third United Nations World Conference in Japan and is expected to be back in Cebu either this Thursday or Friday.

Vice Mayor Edgar Labella believed that what's more important is for a permanent chief of police to be appointed, rather than assigning only an officer-in-charge.

As for Batiancela's appointment, Labella said: "He's already appointed as officer-in-charge but it is just temporary. That is why for me, if asked, it is important that a permanent chief should be appointed as soon as possible." —  (FREEMAN)