6 city police officers relieved

CEBU, Philippines - Citing lapses in conducting checkpoints, the Police Regional Office-7 ordered the relief of six junior officers of the Cebu City Police Office effective last Tuesday.

CCPO director Melvin Ramon Buenafe said he received the order the following day relieving the deputy city director for operations (DCDO), a station chief, and four deputy station chiefs.

The order was signed by Senior Supt. Petronelli Baldebrin, head of the Regional Personnel and Human Resources Development Division.

Supt. Rey Tiempo, the DCDO, and Chief Insp. Andres Bayarcal, chief of Waterfront Police Station, were among those relieved.

Other officers who were ordered relieved were Sr. Insp. Eleazar Abrigana, Insp. Elisandro Quijano, Insp. Eugenio Raganas, and Insp. Jackman Aton, all deputy station chiefs of San Nicolas Police Station, Talamban, Pardo Police Station, and Guadalupe Police Station, respectively.

 The deputy station chief also acts as team leader of the daily checkpoints.

In their absence, Buenafe said he assigned officers-in-charge to fill in the positions that the officers vacated.

“They should take this as a lesson dahil ganito kaseryoso ang ating command, (…because this is how serious our command is),” Buenafe said yesterday.

Chief Insp. Lourdes Ingente, Chief Administrative Branch, said the six police officers were temporarily relieved and will stay with the PRO-7’s Regional Personnel Accounting Holding Unit until PRO 7 issues their replacement.

Ingente said the order cited the lapses of the concerned officers in the conduct of checkpoints.

According to Ingente, the lapses were not particularly indicated in the order, but surmised that these may refer to their failure in performing their checkpoint plans.

Earlier, PRO 7 director Marcelo Garbo ordered the full implementation of the Police Integrated Patrol System (PIPS) which embodies daily intensified checkpoints, among others.

Garbo also ordered for the punishment of those who will not comply.  - THE FREEMAN