EDITORIAL - Vinluan relief a step in the right direction

Just short of four months after she was appointed director of the Cebu City Police Office, Police Colonel Gemma Vinluan has been relieved over the brazen ambush that resulted in the killing of Clarin, Misamis Occidental, mayor David Navarro last month.

According to Police Regional Office-7 director Police Brigadier General Valeriano de Leon, the relief is administrative in nature and is only meant to make Vinluan “accessible for investigation purposes.”

Often left unsaid, another purpose of such a suspension is to “prevent” anybody from possibly influencing a particular investigation. Certainly nothing is stopping Vinluan, who will be reassigned to the Regional Police Holding and Administrative Unit temporarily, from being “accessible” anytime.

We are not saying Vinluan is guilty of being involved in the killing. Authorities even clarified her suspension is in line with the probe as to whether or not police committed security lapses while they were escorting Navarro, now labeled the head of a robbery group, to the Cebu City Prosecutors Office for inquest proceedings.

By all accounts she appears to have a stellar police record and is deserving of her post as city police chief. However, the daring daylight attack carried out on the mayor did happen under her watch and, under the doctrine of command responsibility, she has to share some of the blame.

The fact that many suspect the police were involved in the mayor’s death, a theory put forward by no less than the president of the republic himself, necessitates her temporary vacation of her position even more.

By all means let her resume her post after the investigation has concluded. However, until then someone else should be in charge of the city police.

With this perhaps the investigation can now proceed in earnest.