Police Files
MANDAUE POLICE CHIEF CHALLENGED
THE incoming police chief for Mandaue City was challenged by its mayor to further reduce crime incidence that was started by his predecessor, Senior Supt. Noel Gillamac.
“I only hope that Senior Supt. Petronelli Baldebrin would further lower the city’s crime rate. Based on his records, I am impressed,” Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes told reporters in an interview.
The mayor assured Baldebrin his administration’s full support and said he received good word from the mayors whom the city police chief worked with in the past years.
Cortes said Gillamac highly recommended him to be the next city director since they were batchmates in class 1987 of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA)./Correspondent Jucell Marie P. Cuyos
NEW CENTCOM CHIEF
AFTER more than 20 years, a second Navy officer was named the new commander of Central Command (Centcom).
Rear Admiral Jose Luis Alano will be the new Centcom chief following a major revamp in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) earlier this month.
Alano will be replacing Maj. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr.
An order installing Alano, a member of the Philippine Military Academy class ’79, as Centcom chief, took effect last Sept. 14, said Centcom spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Tampus.
Alano was formerly assigned as the commander of the Philippine Fleet. He also served as Chief of Naval Staff, commander of the Naval Forces Northern Luzon, Service Force and Naval Air Group.
A change of command ceremony will be hosted today at Centcom’s parade grounds with AFP’s Vice Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu as the officiating officer.
Mabanta served as Centcom officer-in-charge for several weeks after Lt. Gen. Ralph Villanueva retired from the military service last month.
Mabanta will return to the 3rd Infantry Division where he is also the concurrent commander.
The first Navy officer who became a Centcom chief was Rear Admiral Napoleon Baylon in 2001./CORRESPONDENT CARMEL LOISE MATUS
