The reason: they have to undergo the six-month Senior Officer Executive Course as part of the "mandatory schooling" requirement for their promotion.
The four relieved police chiefs were Superintendent Raul Petrasanta, of Urdaneta City; Superintendent Jessie Cardona, Alaminos City; Superintendent Candito Quijardo, Calasiao; and Superintendent Geronimo Reside, group commander of Task Force Makatarungan.
Also last Monday, six other police chiefs got their walking papers for failing to make not a single arrest of drug pushers in their respective turfs.
The six were Superintendent Bernardo Reamon of Manaoag; Senior Inspector Jeremias Rasing, Agno; Superintendent Zosimo Fernandez, Bani; Senior Inspector Tomas Obillo, Dasol; Chief Inspector Reynaldo Tamondong, Basista; and Senior Inspector Leonardo Tabelin, San Fabian.
Petrasanta bewailed his sudden relief, saying, "It is only now that the mandatory schooling (is being enforced without prior notice)."
He served as police chief of Urdaneta City for one year and one month. The maximum term is two years.
"It’s as if we did something wrong that we were asked to go into schooling," he said in Tagalog.
Although he felt that his relief was "unceremonious," Petrasanta said he just has to accept it.
Cardona, for his part, said he has no problem with his relief. Though he has served as Alaminos City police chief for only 10 months, he said he was due for schooling.
"I believe our performance was not the basis for our relief but (the Senior Officer Executive Course) is a requirement for our promotion," he said.
Quijardo and Reside could not be reached for comment. Quijardo has reached the maximum two years as Calasiao police chief.
Senior Superintendent Mario Sandiego, provincial police director, told The STAR that it was the decision of the regional police command to subject the four police chiefs to "mandatory career service schooling."
Sandiego said it was just "coincidental" that their relief came simultaneously with the non-performers’.
He added that they should consider their relief as a "blessing in disguise" because the executive course would qualify them to become full-fledged police colonels.