"Acting chief Eleazar is at the helm."
"Acting chief Eleazar is at the helm."
The Philippine National Police (PNP) yesterday continued the vaccination of its health personnel, which is good news for the country’s primary law enforcement agency.
The PNP has suffered 12,162 COVID-19 infections, 33 resulting in deaths and 849 active cases remaining, including that of P/General Debold Sinas, now on leave as PNP chief.
Acting PNP chief P/Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar vowed the PNP will make most of the limited supply of vaccines available to boost its frontliners’ fighting chance against the dreaded disease.
Eleazar said at least 700 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines are available for the PNP health personnel in the National Capital Region Office (NCRPO).
He said 1,196 doses more of the Sinovac vaccine will be administered for the second shot of PNP health staff who received their first jab two weeks ago.
I believe that the PNP is in good hands with Eleazar at the helm, erstwhile commander of the Joint Task Force COVID Shield (JTFCS).
Now, the 160,000-strong police force can focus on fulfilling its mandate “to serve and protect” amidst the extremely difficult conditions in the public health crisis.
Placing PNP under the leadership of a true professional like Eleazar infuses a dose of sanity in the wake of utter madness in policemen’s involvement in an orgy of bloody and questionable operations.
I am confident Eleazar will soon rid the PNP of the curse or virus that has gripped the police organization.
On Sunday, Eleazar announced the removal of P/Lt. Col. Neil Montaño as Calbayog City Police in connection with the assassination of Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino and five others, including three policemen last March 8.
Eleazar said Montano is also being held accountable for his intelligence officer P/Lt. Fernando Calabria’s “the irresponsible conduct” of asking the local court for a list of lawyers representing suspected members of communist groups.
“These two unfortunate incidents are currently under investigation and PLt. Col. Montaño was ordered relieved for command responsibility,” Eleazar said.
The nine Calbayog City policemen involved were reassigned to the Samar Provincial Police Office pending investigation, Eleazar further said.
The group who were in civilian clothes and bonnets claimed it was a misencounter. Very convenient.
However, residents fear the alleged ambush-slaying of the mayor and his aides would escalate into political violence within a little over a year until the 2022 elections.
In the face of an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases and outbreak of Sars2 variants, PNP’s immediate task should be clear and that is to enforce the health and safety protocols set by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Presidential Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).
And, in order to enforce such measures, top police officials along with their men, should set an example of adhering to the DOH and IATF protocols at all times.
Sinas' repeated violations of health and safety protocols, the latest of which reportedly took place in Calapan, Mindoro, should not be tolerated by the IATF.