5 Negros Occidental police chiefs to be reinstated

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines  — At least five of the 31 chiefs of police who were relieved from posts on March 1 will be reinstated to their previous assignments starting March 16.

Senior Supt. Allan Guihisan, director of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), said they are the chiefs of police of the cities of Sipalay and Victorias, and the towns of San Enrique, Hinobaan and Valladolid.

They were assigned to their respective stations only a few days or weeks before the revamp, said Guihisan who declared that it was a revamp, not just a reshuffle, since all 31 chiefs of police were relieved from posts.

"I relieved all chiefs of police for a retraining so when they go back to the field, they will have a uniform policy system," he said.

The chiefs of police have undergone a 15-day retraining at the NOPPO headquarters, adding that Police Regional Office-6 director, Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, and Governor Alfredo Maranon Jr. had earlier approved this matter.

The reinstatement of the chiefs of police would also depend on the results of the evaluation of their performance to be done by the screening and evaluation panel, and in the determination of their stay in their respective posts, that is if they are not overstaying, so they can be assigned back to their stations, said Guihisan.

The committee is composed of three representatives from NOPPO, two from the Governor's Office, E. B. Magalona town Mayor David Albert Lacson as representative of the municipalities and Himamaylan City Mayor Agustin Ernesto Bascon for cities, Provincial Board Member Renato Gustilo as chair of the peace and order committee, four NOPPO deputies to act as members of the secretariat, Guihisan said.

He added that the committee will nominate candidates for chief for every police station, according to rank. "We want proper installation or placements for police officers depending on their ranks based on the standards set by the PNP," he said.

In case a current chief of police will not be reassigned to similar designation, it should not be deemed a demotion because all of them would be designated based on ranks or qualification.

Guihisan further said the revamp was his one-count policy answer to several issues hounding the NOPPO operations, like the dismal performance in the fight against gambling, overstaying in posts (more than two years), and the low morale of junior police officers who complained of slow promotion. (FREEMAN)