CL top cop eyes probe of Aurora police director

BALER, Aurora – The regional director of the Philippine National Police in Central Luzon has vowed to look into the allegations of arrogance and incompetence against the controversial provincial police director in the province.

Chief Superintendent Leon Nilo de la Cruz said that he would look into the controversy involving Senior Superintendent Romeo Teope amid claims he was ignoring established laws and was helpless in the campaign against the illegal numbers game in the province.

“I’ll try to look into the situation,” De la Cruz said, when informed of the brewing rift between Teope and Baler Mayor and League of the Municipalities of the Philippines provincial president Arthur Angara.

Teope and Angara, elder brother of Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo had been at odds over the alleged arrogance and incompetence of the former whom the mayor accused of allegedly bypassing municipal mayors in the designation of police station commanders in their respective jurisdictions and for being “inutile” against the operations of lo-teng, an illegal numbers game in central Aurora.

Angara said Teope should quit his post for ignoring municipal mayors in the assignment of police chiefs.

Calling Teope “arrogant,” Angara said the police officer has totally disregarded the PNP Law which empowered mayors to choose their station commanders. “As if we mayors no longer have any right,” he complained. He denounced Teope for relieving two police station commanders without even consulting him and for assigning retirable police officers in this capital town.

Angara said other mayors are complaining over Teope’s high-handed tactics, among them Mayors Vic Briones of Dilasag, Reynaldo Tolentino of Dipaculao and Annabelle Tangson of San Luis. He said Teope should also be sacked for his dismal performance in the campaign against lo-teng in central Aurora. “Teope keeps on saying lo-teng could not be stopped because its operations are high-tech. Sagot ba ‘yon? Kaya niya kung gugustuhin niya (Is that the right answer? He can stop it if he wants to),” he said.

Angara also scored the police officer for allegedly maintaining in his possession seven chainsaws they seized in a series of anti-illegal logging operations. “Why is Teope keeping them, why don’t they turn it over to the DENR?,” he said.

Teope has maintained that he will not quit his post and that he would wait for the LMP resolution so he could answer the issues being raised against him. De la Cruz said he considers local chief executives as development partners, saying he hoped the friction between Angara and Teope could be ironed out.

He acknowledged that municipal mayors are under the law empowered to choose their police chiefs but with regard to dismissal of these police chiefs, this is vested on the provincial director.

“Practically, mayors have the right to hire but not to fire. We fire (police chiefs) when there is grave mismanagement,” he said.