BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan challenged the leadership of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to be the first one to comply with the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 6975 that provides for a maximum period of 30 days as the tour of duty for an officer-in-charge of a police office to help restore the trust and confidence of the people on the way law enforcers implement laws.
The local chief executive remains disappointed over the blatant circumvention of the PNP law by no less than the PNP leadership because the tend to put in place overstaying officers-in-charge without limit to suit the personal and professional interests of the ranking police officials wanting their chosen police officers to occupy sensitive positions.
“We are dismayed because the organization that is supposed to uphold the law is the very first one that blatantly violates the same law that provides the limit for the assignment of an officer-in-charge in a police office, thus, it could be the primary reason why people distrust the PNP because of the obvious patronage politics in the organization,” Domogan stressed.
He said the PNP must already submit to his office the shortlist of qualified senior police officers so that he could already organize the screening committee to select who will replace Senior Superintendent George D. Daskeo, who was unceremoniously relived from his position as City Director of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) last September 30, 2016 with the flimsy reason that he was already over ranked for the said position.
He said the PNP has already the history of unceremoniously reliving appointed police chiefs as what happened in the case of Senior Superintendent Jesus Cambay, who was also unceremoniously relived from his post as BCPO City Director and replaced with an officer-in-charge in the person of Senior Superintendent Rolando Miranda, who occupied his position as OIC for nearly two years.
Domogan is optimistic that the PNP will not again wait for the time that those qualified senior police officers who will be included in the shortlist that will be submitted to his office in a time that is only known to the PNP leadership will not again be over ranked which will provide the PNP another flimsy reason to unceremoniously relieve the one that will be chosen by the screening committee to be the next BCPO chief.
According to him, BCPO needs a permanent head because local officials will be able to closely work with him for the crafting of long-term peacekeeping andante-criminality interventions that will sustain the peace and order in the city and gain the confidence of foreign and domestic tourists to make the city their frequent destinations because it is a prime tourist destination in the country.
He appealed to the PNP to already fastrack the processing of the documents of the qualified senior police officers that will be in the shortlist and subsequently submit the same to his office for the conduct of the screening for whoever will be chosen as the next BCPO chief.
In as much that he wants to take drastic actions to teach the PNP leadership a lesson, he could not do so because it will be the peacekeeping efforts of the local police force that will be compromised that will affect the image of the city.
By Dexter A. See
