Terte to leave PRO-7

CEBU, Philippines – After serving more than three months as the director of the Police Regional Office-7, Chief Supt. Federico Terte will be officially retiring from the police service this Saturday when he reach the mandatory age retirement of 56.

However, Terte who replaced Chief Supt. Ronald Roderos, said he does not know yet who will be his replacement.

There are three police generals who are being eyed to assume the post as the highest police official of the region, they are Chief Supts. Ireneo Bacolod, Josefino Catalonia and Lani-O Nerez.

Nerez, the former director of the Cebu City Police Office, belongs to the class ‘78 of the Philippine Military Academy, while the two other choices are both classmates of Terte in class ’77 and were both in their retiring age this year.

During the flag raising ceremony yesterday at the Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr. parade grounds, Terte said it would be his last flag raising ceremony in the camp, as he thanked all the men and women of PRO-7 for supporting his programs and project during his short stint as the regional director.

He also urged his fellow officers to work hard and serve the people well “so that someday they will have their own star on their shoulders.”

Terte also thanked the local government officials for their support especially the governor of Cebu, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, for supporting the campaign of the PNP in fighting criminal elements and other programs.

Before becoming director of the PRO-7, Terte served as Roderos’ deputy director for administration and have filed cases against erring policemen and police officials. Some of the cases were dismissed, while for those who were found at fault were slapped with suspensions, reprimand, demotion and dismissal from the service.

Terte recalled that the most memorable day of his career in the police service is when he was imprisoned for three years in the late 80s after joining the coup to overthrow the Aquino government.

He was one of the officers who took over the GMA-7 television station and was caught and jailed at Camp Crame, but he managed to escape prison and went into hiding in 1988.

In 1989 he joined another coup attempt and was arrested again in Camp Crame but he was given amnesty under the administration of former President Fidel Ramos who was also the former Philippine Constabulary Chief during the Marcos administration before being appointed by the Aquino government as the Chief of Staff of the AFP. Terte said that during his years of imprisonment and hiding from the authorities, he and his wife learned many valuable lessons in life. He said that if there is anybody that would be happy of his retirement, it will be his wife and his children. — Edwin Ian Melecio/WAB (THE FREEMAN)