Central Visayas police chief, 10 generals reshuffled

FILE PHOTO: PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr.
INQUIRER file photo / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Eleven ranking police officials have been included in the latest reshuffle at the Philippine National Police, including the Central Visayas police chief at the time of the assassination of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.

Based on PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr.’s order that took effect on Friday, Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 director Brig. Gen. Jerry Bearis was reassigned to the Aviation Security Group, where he would be trading posts with Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin.

Bearis assumed the regional director of the Central Visayas police post in December last year. His three-month position was rocked with issues, particularly security lapses after the March 4 killing of Degamo and eight others.

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos earlier said there would be a shake-up in the police hierarchy, with the entire police stations of Bayawan City and Santa Catalina town in Negros Oriental province as the first casualties last week.

READ: Cops in Bayawan City, where suspects in Degamo murder fled, axed

Also covered by the order were: Maj. Gen. Oliver Enmodias, who was relieved from the Area Police Command (APC)-Northern Luzon and would now head the Directorate for Research and Development; Brig. Gen. Mafelino Bazar from PRO Cordillera to APC-NL; and Brig. Gen. Alden Bacarra Delvo from APC-Eastern Mindanao to PRO 11 (Davao).

Also assigned to a new post was Brig. Gen. Joel Doria, who was designated as PRO Mimaropa chief. He replaced Brig. Gen. Sidney Hernia, who was assigned to the Anti-Cybercrime Group.

READ: SITG exec: 56 cops from Santa Catalina Police Station relieved from post

Brig. Gen. Limuel Obon, on the other hand, was designated as PRO 5 (Bicol) director, replacing Brig. Gen. David Peredo Jr., who was reassigned to the PRO-Cordillera.

Brig. Gen. Benjamin Silo Jr. was designated as the new head of the Civil Security Group, while Brig. Gen. Andrew Diwayan Cayad was assigned to the Directorate for Operations.

Meanwhile, agents of the PNP’s antiscalawag unit arrested a female officer in Makati City for swindling money from her fellow cops seeking transfer from their present assignments.

In a report forwarded to Brig. Gen. Warren de Leon, chief of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG), Cpl. Michelle Ann Repolles was arrested during an entrapment operation at the Makati City Police Station headquarters on Thursday.

The operation stemmed from a report submitted to IMEG on March 13, stating that Repolles, assigned at the office of the deputy chief of police for operations, was collecting between P10,000 and P30,000 from her fellow police officers to be transferred to assignments of their choice.

She told her victims that she has connections with the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management for the immediate processing of their reassignment orders. However, the victims reported that their requests for reassignments were not acted upon.

The suspect is now under the custody of the IMEG headquarters at Camp Crame, Quezon City, where she would be facing criminal and administrative charges.

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