Nerez is new PRO-7 chief

CEBU, Philippines – Starting today, Chief Supt. Lani-o Nerez is the new Police Regional Office-7 director.

A turnover of command was held yesterday at Camp Sergio Osmeña, Sr. where Nerez formally replaced outgoing PRO-7 director Chief Supt. Federico Terte who retired from his 36 years of service in the police force.

One of the guests of the ceremony was Philippine National Police Chief Jesus Verzosa who conducted the turnover of command and personally handed several awards to Terte yesterday.

In his speech, Terte started with a joke that his wife’s dream has finally been realized.

“My wife’s dream has finally come true. Ma-so-solo na rin n’ya ako,” His wife assisted when Verzosa awarded him the Medalya ng Kasanayan.

Terte further said in his speech saying that PRO-7 has successfully attained a peace and order situation better than the rest of the country.

The outgoing PRO-7 director also claimed that during his incumbency, two police non-commissioned officers had been dismissed from the service, two were demoted to lower rank and eight were suspended, while the administrative cases of 15 other non-commissioned officers were dismissed.

For his campaign against loose firearms, a total of 137 persons were arrested for illegal possession of firearms while 45 firearms were recovered, 13 others arrested are under investigation.

For the intensified campaign against illegal gambling, no jueteng operations were reported in the region. Nevertheless, of the 182 other forms of illegal gambling that were reported, 177 raids were conducted and a total of 225 persons were arrested.

Terte also said his campaign against illegal drugs showed that of the 129 operations in this campaign, some 319 persons were arrested and of the number, 240 were users and the rest pushers.

Terte had ten priority projects including the expansion/renovation of PRO-7 grandstand and façade all amounting to P6,851,813 and the completion of the Batuan police station in Bohol.

There are two ongoing projects of police stations in Bais City in Negros and Loboc in Bohol, both amounting to P9,550,000.

Terte first served PRO-7 as Deputy Regional Director for Administration on October 1, 2007 and became director last February 15.

Terte, apparently mimicking former PRO-7 director Ronald Roderos in his outgoing speech, said he “reluctantly yet willingly” signed the formal letter of his retirement.

“Love for service, career, family and above all, love in God Almighty” was the quote Terte said he lived by in his 36 years of service in the police.

Verzosa said that 35 years ago, Terte during their cadet years, was one of his favorite tablemates and once ordered him to make a torch out of 500 Coke bottlecaps.

“From the 500 Coke corks I ordered him to assemble as a torch then, now, he is leading 5,000 policemen,” Verzosa said.

He later said he almost cried when Terte took off his badge.

Verzosa later told Nerez that being the new PRO-7 director, they still have a lot of things to do that will be attained not just in partnership with the PNP but also with the political leaders and local executives.

In his speech as well, Nerez, who is a former Cebu City Police Office director, said: “I said to my speech before, ‘I shall return. And here I am now, I have returned.”

As his first day of being the new PRO-7 director, he ordered his men to do what should be done and integrate efforts and resources to attain their goal. He was the Deputy for operations in Camp Crame before taking the post as PRO-7 director yesterday.

Terte, who graduated from the Philippine Military Academy in 1977, celebrated his 56th birthday yesterday. — Niña G. Sumacot/BRP (THE FREEMAN)