From left: Col. Lito Patay, Col. Sherwin Butil, Col. Hansel Marantan. Photos from the PRO-11 website and PCADG Tagapag-Ugnay Facebook page
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 13 July) – Philippine National Police Chief Maj. Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil maintained that the reshuffling of police officials in Davao City was a “normal process” meant to meet certain “performance indicators” to improve the services of the police forces.
In a press conference streamed live over the Facebook page of the Department of Interior and Local Government on Friday, Marbil said the “mass turnover” was also taking place not only in the city but also in other parts of the country.
He said the relief of the officials from their former posts is part of the process to make the public see the effectiveness of the law enforcers on the ground.
In a statement last July 9, Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte said that the mass relief of police officials “undermines the hard work not only of these police officials but also of every police personnel who is truthfully fulfilling their mandate, that instead of being recognized, are being relieved and questioned.”
He said this recent move will not help sustain the city’s peace and security situation.
In his response, Marbil said that it’s the call of the Police Regional Office-Davao Regional Director Nicolas Torre to reshuffle police officials to meet the standards of the police organization.
“We have to reshuffle. Meron kasi kaming hinabol na performance indicator… ito ang hahabulin natin for people to see a very effective Philippine National Police (We have a performance indicator that we have to meet. We have to meet this for people to see a very effective Philippine National Police),” Marbil said.
The Davao City Police Office had seen mass turnovers of its police officials, consisting of 19 station commanders and the city director. Last Wednesday, DCPO changed leadership thrice within a day.
Early morning Wednesday, Col. Lito Patay, who was designated as DCPO “officer-in-charge” (OIC) reported to his post to assume command. He was appointed OIC two days earlier by Torre.
As he was holding his first command conference with the fresh set of 19 newly appointed station commanders in the city at the DCPO headquarters, he was informed before noon that he had been relieved of his post. He was replaced by Col. Sherwin Butil, who headed PRO-11’s Regional Information and Communications Technology Management Division, as the new OIC.
Finally, at 8:48 p.m., Col. Hansel M. Marantan, stable internal peace and security officer of the Area Police Command for Southern Luzon, was named the “acting city director” effective Wednesday.
Marbil explained the relief of police officials was part of the efforts to make the presence of the PNP more felt on the ground, and to bring the law enforcers closer to the public.
He added that the arrest of Pauleen Canada, one of the five co-accused of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy in child abuse and qualified trafficking charges, had nothing to do with the recent rotation of police officials in the city.
He said the cash reward helped the police officials locate her hideout as authorities were receiving more tips from informants following the announcement of the bounty.
Last July 9, Abalos announced a P10-million bounty on Quiboloy and P1 million each on his five co-accused.
Police arrested Pauleen on the strength of a warrant of arrest around 1:00 p.m. at her residence in Emily Homes Subdivision in Barangay Cabantian, Davao City.
Her residence was less than two kilometers away from the police regional headquarters at Camp Quintin M. Merecido in Buhangin District.
As of Saturday, Quiboloy, Jackielyn Roy, Cresente Canada, Ingrid Canada, and Sylvia Cemañes remained at large.
Torre believed that former police officials of this city were not concealing the whereabouts of the fugitives.
“I’m very sure na walang ganun sa hanay ng kapulisan (I’m very sure that there is no such thing in the ranks of the police),” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
