President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to relieve Bacolod City police chief Francis Ebreo and four other policemen for their alleged involvement in illegal drugs has a basis, the Palace said Monday.
“There must be a basis why the President has relieved this chief. I suppose intelligence information has reached him, and that’s why he made his move,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters.
He made the statement even as Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said Ebreo and the four other policemen will be accorded due process.
Meanwhile, Bacolod City Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said the Bacolod City Council was leaving it to the law enforcement agencies to take action on the alleged involvement of Councilor Ricardo Tan in illegal drugs.
“Let’s leave it to the law enforcement agencies. I’m hoping that Councilor Ricardo Tan can defend himself together with his family,” Familiaran said at the sidelines of the peace covenant signing for the May 13 elections at the Bacolod public plaza on Sunday.
Tan, who is not seeking an elective post in the coming elections, was linked by Duterte to illegal drugs during his talk before an audience at the birthday party of a local businessman in Bacolod City on Saturday night, according to Chief Supt. John Bulalacao.
Panelo said Duterte gathers information from several agencies such as the Philippine National Police, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, which all provide information relative to those who involved in illegal drugs.
“From what I know, he [Ebreo] has been relieved as chief of police. That’s it. There is an administrative process for that,” Panelo said.
Asked if the conviction of the five police officers would follow a process, Panelo said “Definitely, it has always been like that.”
Ebreo was supposed to visit Duterte in Malacañang on Monday, but Panelo said there was no such engagement scheduled in Duterte’s list of activities.
“We don’t have info on that. It’s the first time that I heard about it. I didn’t see it in his schedule,” Panelo said.
On Saturday, the President announced in his speech the dismissal from the service of the five police officers because they were “in cahoots with a drug syndicate.”
He then ordered the five to report to his office in Malacañang on Monday at 2 p.m. but the Palace insisted such meeting was not scheduled.
Meanwhile, Bulalacao said he had designated Senior Supt. Henry Biñas as officer-in-charge of the Bacolod police effective Sunday. With PNA
