Officer facing graft rap named head of CIDG

An officer who has been charged with graft in connection with a P1.2-billion firearms deal of the Philippine National Police has been named director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

In simple rites held at Camp Crame on Thursday, Chief Supt. Francisco Uyami Jr. took the helm of the CIDG from Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. who stepped down last week after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Uyami, a member of Class ’82 of the Philippine Military Academy, was one of several police officers charged last year in the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with supposed irregularities in the bidding for 59,904 service pistols for policemen. The case remains pending with the Ombudsman.

Uyami also served as chief of police of Pasig City after the raid on a “shabu tiangge,” a big drug den discovered in the city in 2007.

Uyami’s designation, however, came as a surprise to a number of officers since he was the youngest of those who were considered for the job.

Sources told the Inquirer Uyami was Interior Secretary Mar Roxas’ choice because the latter wanted to give the CIDG post—considered one of the “juiciest” in the PNP—to someone who had never been assigned to the group.

“Secretary Roxas wanted to give the position to the official who least wanted it,” a ranking police officer told the Inquirer.

PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr. said Uyami was endorsed to President Aquino by PNP Director General Alan Purisima on the recommendation of the Senior Officers Placement and Promotions Board.