Senior Superintendent Conrad Capa. JULLIANE DE JESUS/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police chief, Director General Alan Purisima, clarified Thursday that the police official heading the tracker team responsible for the arrest of Delfin Lee was “promoted and not relieved.”
Purisima, in a press briefing at Camp Crame, said Senior Superintendent Conrad Capa, head of the PNP Task Force Tugis, was transferred to Central Visayas Police Regional Office 7 as this would serve as a “stepping stone” to becoming a one-star general or a Chief Superintendent.
The PNP chief statement came amid rumors that Capa was relieved from his post as the commander of the task force over the questionable arrest of the Globe Asiatique president last March 6.
But in a television interview minutes after the press briefing with Purisima, Capa argued that it was not for promotion that he was reassigned to PRO7 as Deputy Regional Director for Operations in Cebu.
“Ako, kahit saan naman ako lumagay. Nasaktan ako na marinig kung anong nangyari sa akin, sa career ko,” Capa lamented.
Prior to Capa’s interview, Purisima explained that “the reason of his relief is to promote him. This is for him to become a general in the future.”
“Actually he was long overdue for that position. This would give him an opportunity to be promoted in the near future,” Purisima said.
The PNP chief explained that Capa’s reassignment would qualify him to become the Deputy Regional Director for Administration.
Reacting to Purisima’s statement, Capa said in the televised interview that his reassignment would not expedite his promotion.
Capa stressed that it would take him another six months to wait for PNP officials to vacate higher positions before earning a promotion.
“It is wrong to say that I am being reassigned as DRDO for promotion. I will have to wait for about six months,” he said.
Asked if the police could maintain the Task Force’s duty in hunting down high-profile fugitives without Capa, Purisima said: “Colonel Capa is not Task Force Tugis. Mas marami po ‘yung tao na nasa baba niya ang nagta-trabaho.”
Purisima stressed that Capa is the only frontman on Lee’s arrest being the Task Force Tugis leader but the ones who are actually working are those policemen on the ground.
“They (tracker teams) are the ones in the streets. They conduct the surveillance 24 hours and yet we do not know them,” he said in Filipino.
Expressing disappointment to his superior’s statement, he said: “I am the commander now and I’m supposed to give them orders, prepare financial and logistic reports.”
Capa said, he may not be physically present during the arrest of Lee at Hyatt Hotel in Manila, but he directly supervises the team.
“Sa araw araw na ginawa ng Diyos ako nagsu-supervise at nag-uupdate. I was in full control,” he said.
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