Police higher-ups, however, said the shake-up was a "minor revamp," dismissing speculations that the police chiefs were relieved because their areas are considered election "hot spots."
Senior Superintendent Luisito Palmera, provincial police director, said the revamp affected the towns of San Leonardo, Sta. Rosa, Cuyapo and San Isidro and the city of Gapan.
Relieved were Senior Superintendent Benjamin de la Cruz (Gapan), Superintendent Marlon Bingcang (Sta. Rosa), Senior Inspector Ramon Gamboa (San Leonardo), Senior Inspector Danilo Fernando (Cuyapo), and Chief Inspector Bayani Aquino (San Isidro).
De la Cruz was replaced by Senior Superintendent Jerome Pagaragan, and Bingcang by Superintendent Peter Guibong. It was a homecoming of sorts for Guibong who was the former police chief of Sta. Rosa.
Bingcang’s relief came on the heels of the bombing of the house of re-electionist Sta. Rosa Mayor Marlon Marcelo last January. Police have tagged Marcelo’s rival, Antonio Romero, as the alleged culprit behind the attack.
Gamboa, who was reassigned to this city’s Drug Enforcement Unit, was replaced by Chief Inspector Bobby Popalan; Fernando by Senior Inspector Orlando Domingo; and Aquino by Senior Inspector Romeo Velasco.
The San Leonardo police under Gamboa’s watch came under fire from concerned citizens due to a string of unsolved crimes, including the April 30 slaying of prominent lawyer Reynaldo Reyes.
Both De la Cruz and Bingcang were reassigned to the provincial police headquarters. Aquino was designated as deputy police chief of Palayan City.
The Commission on Elections said that so far, it has not identified any election "hot spot" in the province.