VALENCIA CITY (MindaNews/18 July) — The chief of police of Valencia City, Bukidnon was relieved today amid complaints he had failed to curb rising criminality.
Supt. Canilo A. Fuentes, deputy police provincial director for operations said Supt. Adonis Mutia turned over his responsibility this morning to Supt. Narciso Domingo, who until his appointment, was commandant of the Philippine National Police Academy in Silang, Cavite.
Twenty-nine percent or 565 of the 1,953 index crimes in Bukidnon from January to June this year occurred in Valencia making Mutia the subject of criticism in the local media. Only 35 of the 565 cases were considered solved, according to records obtained by MindaNews.
Index crimes include murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carjacking and cattle rustling.
In Malaybalay City, only 33 of the 523 index crimes for the same period were classified as solved.
Fuentes pointed out in the KBP Bukidnon Interaction Sunday that Valencia’s police force was undermanned. He said the ideal police to population ratio is 1:500 but the city only had a 1:2000 ratio.
He also clarified that Mutia was already an “overstaying” police officer in the city.
Fuentes said he was confident that Domingo can do something about the criminality in Valencia.
Domingo, who is from Kadingilan, Bukidnon, told MindaNews Monday he knew the weight of his new job.
“A lot of things need to be done,” he added.
Just last week, Radyo Mo Nationwide (RMN) reported that five cases of robbery and three carjacking cases were reported to the police.
On the same day that Valencia’s police leadership changed hands another businessman in the city was wounded in an attack. (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)
