Vizcaya police chief relieved

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – A chief of police of one of this province’s premier towns has been relieved from his post over the week after he was linked in alleged illegal logging activity.

Senior Superintendent Pedro Danguilan, provincial police director, said the relief of Bambang town police head Chief Inspector Janton Albano would erase doubts of a whitewash in the investigation of his alleged involvement in last month’s transport of illegally-sourced out logs in the said town.

Albano’s relief took effect March 25 or two days after villagers filed a complaint against him for the alleged transport of some 4,000 board feet of undocumented lumber, which he allegedly owned and even tried to intercede personally for their release when they were stopped by a community led checkpoint in the town’s Barangay Mabuslo.   

Danguilan said the relieved police official’s deputy, Senior Inspector Joefrey Bulong, took over his post in an acting capacity.

“Albano will be assigned at the provincial police office while his case is being heard to prevent the possibility that he could influence any witnesses against him,” he said.

The questioned logs, on board an Isuzu Forward truck, belong to Albano, as claimed in the complaint of the residents led by Mabuslo barangay councilwoman Nelly Cara.

“I took the cudgels to block the truck when they tried to ignore us. When I asked for the papers of the logs, (Albano) instead held my hand and dragged me away from the road,” she said. 

Albano denied ownership of the logs, further claiming he was in Baguio City at the time of their apprehension. – Charlie Lagasca