GMA’s choice of Pampanga cop chief nixed

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Will the jueteng-triggered shakeup of police field commanders end up as mere moro-moro?

This seems to be the pervasive sentiment among senior police officers in Central Luzon after President Arroyo reportedly gave instructions for Senior Superintendent Rodolfo "Boogie" Mendoza, Pangasinan police director, to take over the Pampanga police command.

Senior Superintendent Arturo Cacdac, acting Pampanga police director, confirmed to The STAR that Mendoza, his classmate at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Batch 1978, is set to replace him.

Cacdac’s appointment as officer-in-charge of the Pampanga police itself sparked recently a clash between Gov. Lito Lapid and Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Berroya, Central Luzon police director.

Cacdac will return to his former post as police chief of Angeles City.

Ranking police officers, who requested anonymity, alleged that jueteng flourished in Pangasinan under Mendoza.

A week ago, the National Police Commission relieved seven ranking police officers, including Berroya and Chief Superintendent Edgardo Aglipay of the National Capital Region police, from their posts due to their alleged failure to curb jueteng in their respective areas.

"It is quite surprising that the President is now backing Mendoza to take over (the) Pampanga (police when) jueteng proliferation has been cited as the reason for Berroya’s relief," a senior police officer here said.

Cacdac said the President was known to have expressed her plans for Mendoza to take over the Pampanga police as early as last May.

Cacdac, however, said Mendoza is qualified to assume the Pampanga police post. — Ding Cervantes