Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde has clarified that S/Supt. Vicente Danao Jr. was appointed to lead the Manila Police District (MPD) not only because he was the former Davao City Police Chief.
“It’s not the factor but he is really being considered as a district director,” Albayalde said in Filipino in a press briefing on Monday.
He admitted, however, that it might have been also a consideration since Malacañang is in Manila and he has been assigned in Davao for a long time, but definitely, it was not a major factor.
Danao, who served as Davao police chief while Duterte was mayor until 2016, was recently assigned as deputy chief for operations of the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
He replaced former MPD Director C/Supt. Rolando Anduyan, who will lead the Northern Police District (NPD) after C/Supt. Gregorio Lim retires on Wednesday.
“Si Vic Danao naman ay qualified, highly-qualified, at nagkaroon iyan ng deliberation ng oversight committee why he was chosen to lead the Manila Police District, and of course, that triggered doon sa retirement ni General Lim coming November 14,” Albayalde said.
(Vic is qualified, highly qualified and the oversight committee had deliberated on why he was chosen to lead the Manila Police District. And of course, that was triggered by the retirement of General Lim on November 14.)
Anduyan’s replacement was announced two weeks after an MPD cop was accused of raping a minor in exchange for her parents’ freedom. Both parents were drug suspects.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Director Guillermo Eleazar, however, denied in a previous report that the shake-up has something to do with the rape incident. /ee
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