Cordillera cops snub council hearing

BAGUIO CITY  – Embattled officials of the Police Regional Office (PRO) in the Cordillera snubbed the legislative inquiry scheduled by the City Council Monday because of their alleged earlier prior commitments that were equally important for the region’s police force.

In their separate letters sent to the City Council, PRO-COR Regional Director Elmo Francis Sarona, PRO-COR Deputy Regional Director for Administration Senior Superintendent Gregorio M. Lim and PRO-COR Deputy Regional Director for Operations Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro claimed they could not attend the scheduled hearing last Monday because of equally important commitments but they are willing to appear before the local legislative body on future dates to address issues related to the unceremonious transfer of SPO# Alberto C. Tadeo, a devoted and efficient traffic officer of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO), to Apayao simply because he apprehended the driver and security escort of Lim for violating the city’s number coding scheme and reminding them of their sworn duty to strictly implement law, rules and regulations.

For his part, PO3 Joseph Canlas, the designated security aide of Limwho was in the said vehicle that violated the city’s number coding scheme, informed the local legislators that will still secure the authority of his boss before appearing before the regular session of the local legislative body on a date to be scheduled.

Because of the commitment of the police officers to appear in future hearings that will be scheduled for the said purpose of addressing the pertinent issues being raised against the transfer of Tadeo, majority of the local legislators decided to set the next hearing on Monday, January 30, 2017 to give them a chance to explain their side on the matter even if Councilor Edgar M. Avila withdrew his proposal to declare Lim as ‘persona non grata’ in the city for grave abuse of power and authority.

The council still wants Lim to submit a written comment on the proposal to declare him ‘persona non grata’ in the city while informing the police officers that their failure to appear on the scheduled hearing on January 30, 2017 will be deemed a waiver of rights on their part to answer the issues being hurled against them relative to the unceremonious transfer of Tadeo to Apayao without the benefit of due process.

PRO-COR sources claimed Lim and Casimiro were in their respective offices Monday afternoon which would negate their alibi before the local legislative body that they were attending equally important commitments that would mean that they are trying to evade appearing before the hearing to prevent them from being grilled for their obviously wrong decision in ordering Tadeo’s transfer to Apayao without the benefit of due process.

Professionals and nitizens alike ganged up on officials of PRO-COR for unceremoniously transferring Tadeo from BCPO to Apayao for allegedly breach of discipline when he reportedly issued side comments reminding Lim’s driver and security escort to be models in observing traffic laws, rules and regulations after they brought to the city Lim’s vehicle in violation of the city’s number coding scheme and that it was Lim’s driver and security escort that name dropped Lim as the owner of the vehicle which caused an uproar from the public that no one is above the law.

By HENT