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Cebu News

Unwanted in the police stations: Truant cops told to plant camote

- Edwin Ian Melecio -

“Go home and plant camote.”

This was what teachers used to tell students, who could not perform well in the classrooms during the 1970s.  Now, the Cebu Provincial Police Office wants to use it to discipline cops, but it’s “go to Campoot and plant camote” for them.

The CCPO will assign truant policemen to “planting” duty in barangay Campoot, Tuburan instead of sending them to other police stations.

Campoot is a mountain barangay located 17 kilometers from the town proper and there is a dearth of public transportation going there, said SPO1 Abel de los Santos of the Tuburan Police Station.

The CPPO created an extension for the Provincial Security Group called the Admin Holding Center.  This will be where erring policemen would be assigned while facing criminal or administrative charges filed against them.

Supt. Erson Digal, the deputy for operations of the CPPO, told reporters yesterday that the order came from the provincial police director Sr. Supt. Carmelo Valmoria.

Digal said, initially there are five policemen to be brought to the said holding center this Monday, and because the area is not thickly populated they are ordered to plant vegetables and any root crops and tree seedlings in the vast provincial lots surrounding the camp.

The said barangay is also the home of the 3rd Company of the Regional Mobile Group, which is based in the area as part of the battle against communist insurgents.

The first team of policemen in the Admin Holding Center is to be headed by Insp. Samuel Vercede.  His men will be composed of policemen who are in “floating status” in the CPPO.

Digal said, some of these policemen to be assigned to Campoot are those who were formerly assigned to municipal police stations, but because of their misbehavior the municipal mayors asked them to be relieved while others were flatly refused when local officials learned of their spotty records.

Digal however clarified that policemen, who still have pending administrative and criminal charges and are now assigned to the CPPO would not be brought to barangay Campoot.

Citing that it would be difficult for these policemen to attend their court hearings, among the policemen, who will not to be assigned in barangay Campoot are the ten policemen from the Cebu City Police Office, who were recently relieved.

Earlier this month, Sr. Supt. Orlando Perez, chief of staff of the Police Regional Office 7, recalled the ten policemen assigned to Bohol Provincial Police Office for the reason that there was an old Letter of Instruction pertaining the transfer of erring policemen to other areas.

According to the said LOI, “uniformed or non-uniformed PNP personnel, who are facing administrative or criminal charges should be put under the administrative holding centers of their respective police units until proper authority decide for their status.”

Insp. Vercede who will become the first commander of the Admin Holding Center in Campoot in an interview with reporters said he is willing to be assigned to any place in the country as ordered.

He was once assigned to Samboan Police Station and Toledo City before being assigned to the PSG starting December last year.

“Bisag asa ok lang! Kay polis manta willing ko ma-asign anywhere in the Philippines pero wa mi laing trabaho didto tanom-tanom lang ug monitor pod sa mga NPA,” Vercede said.

He already asked the logistics unit to issue them M-16 Armalite rifles for their new assignment.

When asked why he is excited about it, he merely answered being a policeman he is always prepared for battle citing that he have received reports about the presence of communist rebels in the area.

Allegedly, the said barangay has no signal for any telecommunication provider, but to compensate that, Digal said the holding center would be equipped with radio for communications.

Vercede is ordered to report any misbehavior of his men and those who will not report for duty.

Digal warned that the CPPO would not hesitate to file administrative charges against those policemen who will not report to Campoot . — (/NLQ)

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