Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Send more of them packing.
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas on Thursday directed the chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) to let the axe fall on police commanders who have failed to curb criminality in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
He lauded NCRPO chief Director Carmelo Valmoria for ordering the administrative relief of Caloocan City police chief Senior Supt. Bernard Tambaoan on Aug. 14 over “certain deficiencies in administrative performance.”
The NCRPO chief on Tuesday also sacked Supt. Luis Francisco Jr., commander of the Manila Police District’s Station 11, “for his failure to reduce crime incidents in his area of responsibility,” Roxas noted.
“The leadership of the NCRPO has sent a strong signal to all chiefs of police and station commanders in Metro Manila that they will be relieved of their posts if they cannot … bring down crime incidents in their areas of responsibility,” the secretary said.
But while erring police commanders had been relieved, lower ranking Philippine National Police personnel who had performed beyond the call of duty would be rewarded.
Roxas saw an example in PO2 Cesar Tolentino of the Caloocan City police, who would receive a spot promotion and due recognition “for his heroic act” of killing two motorcycle-riding men in a shootout after they robbed a gas station on Quirino Avenue, Quezon City, Sunday night.
Meanwhile, Roxas said he had ordered Valmoria to assign additional personnel to police stations in Tondo in Manila, Batasan Hills in Quezon City, and certain areas in the cities of Caloocan and Pasay.
“These areas were reported to have seen a rise in crime incidents, including homicide, theft and robbery,” he said.–Marlon Ramos
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