CABANATUAN CITY—Twenty-three police officers, 16 of whom were police station commanders, were relieved from their posts in a revamp of the provincial office of the Philippine National Police almost a month after the elections.
Of those relieved, nine carried the rank of police superintendents, four chief inspectors and the rest were senior inspectors.
The relief of the 23 was contained in Special Order 137 issued by provincial police director, Senior Supt. Manuel Cornel, dated May 30. It took effect June 1.
No immediate reason was cited for the mass relief with Cornel failing to return repeated calls on his mobile phone.
Those relieved were the deputy provincial director for operations and the respective heads of the provincial personnel holding and account unit, the provincial operations and plans branch, the police community relations branch, provincial investigation and detective management branch and the provincial personnel and human resource development branch as well as the police chiefs of the cities of Gapan, Muñoz, Palayan and San Jose and the municipalities of Aliaga, Gen. Tinio, Jaen, Laur, Lupao, Pantabangan, Peñaranda, San Antonio, Sta. Rosa, Sto. Domingo and Talavera.
The number of station commanders relieved represents half of the 32 police chiefs assigned in the five component cities and 27 municipalities of the province.
Of the five cities, only the station commander of the Cabanatuan police—Supt. Joselito Villarosa—retained his post in spite of reports that he is a godson of Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara and virtually serving as the latter’s personal bodyguard and rampant criminality in this city.
A police superintendent is the equivalent of a lieutenant colonel in the defunct Integrated National Police while a chief inspector a police major and a senior inspector a police captain.