GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/15 July) – Maguindanao has a new acting police chief.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Jesus Versoza designated effective Thursday this city’s outgoing police director, Senior Supt. Marcelo Pintac, as the new acting police director of Maguindanao province.
Supt. Alex Lineses, who stepped down voluntarily as Maguindanao police director last Tuesday, said Pintac’s assignment came after he received his official relief order from Camp Crame Wednesday.
“(Pintac) was reassigned to Maguindanao while I’ll be reporting to the regional office to assume a higher position,” he said in a radio interview Thursday noon.
Personnel from the city police office here confirmed Pintac’s relief, which was reportedly issued Wednesday afternoon.
Lineses vacated his post as Maguindanao police director Tuesday, 13 days after Manguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu in his inaugural address on June 30, called for his ouster for supposedly being “lax” in performing his duties.
Mangudadatu specifically asked the PNP leadership to relieve Lineses to help boost his campaign against private armies in his province.
Lineses said he volunteered to leave his post ahead of his expected relief after losing the governor’s support and confidence.
“It was out of delicadeza. I knew my relief is on the way so I decided that it would be better if I step down and give way (for my replacement),” he said.
Lineses, who assumed as Maguindanao police director, several weeks after the November 23, 2009 gruesome massacre of 58 people, including 32 journalists in Ampatuan town, admitted that he has not spoken to the governor after the calls for his ouster came out.
“But I made sure everything was in order when I left my post,” he added.
Pintac, who only assumed as city police director here in June last year, earlier drew the ire of several members of the city council due to his supposed failure to curb the rising cases of criminalities and address the rampant illegal gambling activities in the city. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)
