Cop assumes top post for only 4 hours

CITY OF MALOLOS—Senior Superintendent Bartolome Bustamante was appointed to head the Bulacan provincial police but he held the position for only four hours.

Bustamante, formerly of the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group  based in the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, accepted the post from Senior Supt. Joel Orduña in a short ceremony at  2 p.m. on Friday, only to be relieved at 6 p.m. that day.

Orduña reclaimed his post but neither he nor Bustamante was given any explanation for the recall order.

Chief Superintendent Raul Petrasanta, Central Luzon police director, said in a text message to the Inquirer on Saturday, that he, too, was in the dark. “I don’t have the answer except that there was an order to recall from the NHQ (PNP national headquarters). Just following orders,” he said.

Bustamante, in a telephone interview on Saturday, said he had no choice but to comply with the order.

He said he was scheduled to meet Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado and other top Bulacan officials Monday to present his program of action regarding peace and order, and solving crimes in the province.

The April 10 murder of the executive assistant of a provincial board member would have been his first concern, Bustamante said.

Edwin Inocencio, 42, an employee of Board Member Michael Fermin, was shot and killed by a man riding on a motorcycle near the gate of Northville subdivision in Barangay (village) Longos here. Inocencio was on his way to Fermin’s house.

Orduña said investigators were looking at politics as a motive for the attack following reports that Fermin was considering running for representative in the 2016 elections. Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Inquirer Central Luzon