BAGUIO CITY – The local screening committee recommended to the Police Regional Office (PRO) of the Cordillera the appointment of Senior Eliseo T. Tanding as the new City Director of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) after he passed the screening process late December 11 evening.
The 8-member screening committee chaired by Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan interviewed the shortlisted applicants and let them present their proposed programs for the BCPO once appointment as the local police chief.
Of the five qualified senior police officers in the shortlist, only four appeared and submitted themselves to the screening process devised by the local government in the selection of the chief of the local police force upon orders of the local chief executive.
The four senior police officers who appeared during the screening process included incumbent BCPO Acting City Director Senior Superintendent Tanding, former BCPO City Director Senior Superintendent George D. Daskeo, Senior Superintendent Augustin Tello and Senior Superintendent Pedro Suliba while Senior Superintendent Florante Camuyot waived his right for the said position.
Earlier, the 2-year tour of duty of former BCPO City Director Senior Superintendent Ramil L. Saculles expired on September 30, 2018 leading to the designation of Senior Superintendent Tanding as Acting City Director on October 16, 2018.
The committee required the applicants to individually present their performance ratings for two consecutive rating periods, specifically the last semester of 2017 and the first semester of 2018, their proposed programs as local chief of police.
Among the criteria adopted by the committee in the selection of the BCPO chief included availability, performance, programs, results of interview and other relevant aspects of being a well-rounded police officer.
Aside from Mayor Domogan, other members of the committee were City Administrator Carlos Canilao, City Human Resource and Management Officer Augustin P. Laban III, City Prosecutor Elmer Manuel Sagsago, City Local Government Operations Officer Evelyn Trinidad, Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club (BCBC) president Jonathan Munar of DZEQ Radyo Pilipinas, veteran media practitioner Ramon S. Dacawi, businessman Peter Ng, Councilor Michael L. Lawana and Councilor Francisco Roberto Ortega VI.
While the law mandates that it is the local chief executive that is given the prerogative to select the local chief of police, Domogan adopted as a policy the creation of the local screening committee to screen the qualified senior police officers that will be submitted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) where the committee will select the chief of police because he wants to involve various sectors of the city in the selection process for the officer to lead Baguio’ Finest.
By Dexter A. See
