Local courts suspend reshuffle of Manila, Caloocan police

MANILA, Philippines - The courts of Manila and Caloocan have issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) suspending the reshuffle of officials of the Manila and Caloocan police.

Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 8 Judge Felixberto Olalia issued the TRO after Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim filed a complaint.

On Jan. 8, Lim ordered Manila police chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay to effect a reshuffle.

However, Magtibay conducted another reshuffle based on a text message from National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Roberto Rosales.

Lim questioned the legality of Rosales’ order, saying that the law and National Police Commission rules indicate that the city of Manila’s mayor is authorized to choose the heads of the city’s 11 police stations.

He said Rosales “is not authorized by any law to conduct such a reshuffle.”

In Caloocan, RTC Branch 129 Judge Thelma Aguirre issued a TRO Wednesday afternoon to the Philippine National Police directing the PNP leadership to stop the ongoing revamp of local police officials in the runup to the May 10 elections.

Aguirre also directed Senior Superintendent George Gaddi to refrain from performing his official functions as the newly designated Caloocan police chief. Superintendent Florendo Quiboyen is acting as the city’s police chief in a temporary capacity.

On Jan. 9, the last day in which the Commission on Elections (Comelec) allows the transfer of police officers without the poll body’s sanction, Caloocan police chief Senior Superintendent Jude Santos received an order from the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame directing him to vacate his post in favor of Gaddi.

He was reassigned to the Northern Police District (NPD) directorial staff office, an assignment he claimed “a promotion in my part.”

Also included in the major reshuffle were Santos’ four ranking men. They were directed to report to the NCRPO without specific assignments.

On Jan. 12, at around 3:30 p.m., Senior Superintendent John Ramon Mondejar, officer-in-charge of NCRPO-personnel and records management division, sent an order through fax at Gaddi’s office directing the transfer to the NCRPO holding center five more police officers.

Like the four other ranking officers who were relieved Saturday and directed to report to the NCRPO in Taguig, the latest batch were also on “floating” status.

More revamps at the NPD are in the offing, sources said.

NPD director Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr., in an earlier interview, said his command has nothing to do over the revamp claiming he is just implementing orders from the national headquarters.

NPD has under its command the four police stations in the Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) area.