PNP implements suspension order vs Northern Mindanao top cop

Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa, officer-in-charge of the Philippine National Police. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The regional director of the Police Regional Office 10 (PRO-10) has been suspended due to a pending case filed against the official in 2012, according to Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa.

Gamboa said he already signed the suspension papers of Brig. Gen. Rafael Santiago Jr., and a new regional director would be installed on Thursday, October 31.

“Yes, he was relieved because he has a suspension order that came out, that was dated October 21, 2019,” Gamboa said in an ambush interview on Tuesday, after inspecting the bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City.

“It is a pity because he was a very good performer but we have to implement the suspension order for six months, even if he is ‘retireable’ by May of next year I have no course but to implement it,” he added.

Gamboa said Santiago’s case was about a logistics complaint back in 2012 when the latter was still provincial police chief of Zambales.

“It was an old case, I think it was filed in 2012, it’s about logistics, he allegedly did not turn over the firearms, so he was suspended. We did not dig this up but as soon as it reached my office, we would implement it,” he said.

Santiago, like Gamboa and other high-ranking PNP officials, come from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Sinagtala Class of 1986. /jpv