Trinidad, Aglipay meet on proposed cops’ retraining

Pasay City Mayor Wenceslao "Peewee" Trinidad is set to meet this morning with Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director General Edgardo Aglipay at the city hall and make a formal appeal for the reconsideration of Philippine National Police (PNP) Director Gen. Leandro Mendoza’s order to relieve all 341 Pasay policemen and have them undergo retraining and reorientation.

Trinidad has described Mendoza’s order as "unfair and an overreaction."

The mayor has given his full support to police non-commissioned officers (PNOCs) who, along with their families, are requesting Mendoza to reconsider his order. Trinidad met with some 30 PNOCs at the Pasay police headquarters Saturday.

Trinidad expressed concern that the policemen who will temporarily assume the duties of the Pasay force while they are on training would be unfamiliar with their areas of responsibility, resulting in an upsurge of crime in the city.

Southern Police District (SPD) Director Jose Gutierrez has himself considered this as a "problem." "This is why there will be an orientation of the interim police force to avoid this problem," Gutierrez said.

Trinidad, who is calling for the transfer of control of police, jail and fire bureaus to local government units, has suggested a "staggered training schedule" so as not to affect policemen’s cases pending in court and other special police operations to maintain peace and order in the city.

Police Superintendent Francisco Jose Villaroman, PNP chief for individual and training program, said a "house training" might be better for the policemen. "The training could be conducted in Pasay so as not to disrupt the policemen’s work. Besides, they know their territory best," Villaroman said.

Earlier reports said the training will start on June 17. Aglipay said the Pasay police will return to the city as one whole unit after the training.

Gutierrez has recommended Senior Supt. Oscar Catalan to be the city’s interim officer-in-charge. The policemen who will be temporarily assigned in Pasay will come from the NCRPO. Mendoza last week ordered all Pasay city policemen to undergo re-training after the botched hostage rescue operation last May 31. – Nikko Dizon