PNP reshuffle looms as key officials retire

MANILA, Philippines - A reshuffle is impending at the Philippine National Police (PNP) with the mandatory retirement of four officials occupying key positions in the police service.

PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima has yet to announce the replacements of four generals – Directors Catalino Cuy, Mario Avenido, Samuel Diciano and Cipriano Querol – and Chief Superintendent Mario Avenido.

Catalino, who headed the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management, retired on Monday. Diciano, the chief of the Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development, retired on Nov. 2 and Querol of the Directorate for Intelligence (DI) will retire on Dec. 8. Avenido retired last month.

Deputy Director General Ager Ontog, PNP deputy chief for administration, was earlier named by President Aquino as his choice to replace Gen. Trifonio Salazar, head of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.

Salazar offered to resign and the President accepted the resignation reportedly after the Zamboanga siege last month.

Ontog is set to retire on Aug. 21, 2014 but is reportedly planning to avail the early retirement early next year. He has yet to make any statement on the President’s pronouncement.

One of the latest movements in the PNP was the relief of Chief Superintendent Elmer Soria of the Eastern Visayas police after he was quoted that the death toll in the Super Typhoon Yolanda in Samar and Leyte could reach 10,000.

President Aquino downplayed the projection and claimed the death toll would only be 2,500. The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said over 5,000 died in the calamity.

Government officials claimed Soria’s relief was meant to give him time to relax after dealing with the massive damage in his area of jurisdiction.