PNP says relief of 19 Davao City police chiefs not political

RESHUFFLE Davao City’s San Pedro police station, shown here on Monday, July 8, 2024, is one of the 19 police units in the city whose commanders have been relieved in an unexplained major reshuffle. —BING GONZALES

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the relief of 19 Davao City police commanders has nothing to do with politics.

In a press conference, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo addressed concerns regarding the reshuffle of the police chiefs which Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte described as a “mass relief.”

According to Fajardo, the order of  Davao Police Regional Office Director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III was made to improve the implementation of PNP programs.

READ: 19 police chiefs in Davao City relieved, reassigned

She noted that Torre’s “intention is to infuse new blood in Davao [police] for it to become dynamic or more progressive.”

On Wednesday, Mayor Duterte wrote on Facebook: “There are extraordinary and unwarranted administrative changes by the Philippine National Police that seem to be politically motivated.”

READ: New Davao regional police chief assumes post amid failed Quiboloy arrest

“The mass relief of police officials… will not help in sustaining the city’s peace and security situation,” he added.

But Fajardo said Thursday: “Because of some of the political issues nahaluan ng kulay ito (it was given color).”

“But we want to assure everyone that this is far from reality,” she also said.