PNP relieves Mandaue director Catabas, names Belandres OIC

The Philippine National Police has relieved Mandaue City Police Office director Eduardo Catabas from his post, and named his deputy, Sr/Supt. Paquito Belandres, as officer-in-charge until a new director will be chosen.

Police Regional Office-7 director Eduardo Gador yesterday confirmed the relief order, which was due to Catabas alleged failure in the anti-illegal gambling campaign in his area of jurisdiction.

PNP Chief Arturo Lomibao implemented last year the PNP 3-strike policy, of which anti-gambling task forces from Camp Crame will operate in an area of a police station-in three separate periods-and see if there are illegal gambling activities there.

If the task force still seizes some gambling machines on the third strike, this means that the police head in that particular area has failed to clean up his jurisdiction from illegal gambling activities.

Gador said there were already three police chiefs in the region that were relieved, due to this 3-strike policy of the PNP, and Catabas was the fourth to go.

Catabas will be reassigned to the regional headquarters while an investigation will be done to determine if he committed neglect in eradicating gambling in Mandaue. Camp Crame operatives operated thrice in the city and seized video karera and "moli-moli" machines in those instances.

The implementation of Lomibao's 3-strike policy covers police station chiefs, city police directors and the regional police directors nationwide, said Gador.

Gador said regional directors are not spared from the policy, explaining that if there were three provinces under his jurisdiction that the task force have operated and found positive of illegal gambling activities, they could also be relieved from their post. - Flor Z. Perolina