Ibones' relief meant to give others chance to head TRS - Gayotin

Cebu City Police Office director Melvin Gayotin yesterday said the relief of the chief of the Theft and Robbery Section the other day was meant to give others a chance to head the unit.

Following S/Insp. Ambrocio Ibones' relief, S/Insp. Alexis Relado was given the job the other day to head the TRS. Relado was the former chief of Pardo Police Station before he was transferred to the Security Service Group last month.

Gayotin insisted that Ibones' relief was not due to the unsolved robbery incidents in the city, saying that Ibones has stayed at the TRS for quite a long time already.

Gayotin said from time to time, a reshuffle is needed among his chiefs to avoid them from familiarizing too much of their units. Ibones is now assigned as deputy to Supt. Mariano Natuel, the chief of the SSG.

Ibones, however, clarified that he is not retiring as what reports have said, adding that he is only going to retire in 2008. Newspapers reported yesterday that he was relieved because he is going to retire soon.

For his part, Relado told reporters that he considered his new assignment as the new TRS chief a big challenge. He said he is now facing a big responsibility in the midst of the spate of robbery incidents in the city nowadays.

Relado called for a command conference yesterday to meet all his personnel and to inform them of his policies that he is going to implement. He said they are not only preparing for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit next month but also the coming Christmas celebration.

He admitted it is possible that robbery cases will rise in the city until January but promised to double their efforts against criminality. - Norvie S. Misa