The National Police Commission (Napolcom) has recommended to President Benigno Aquino III the promotion of two police officials to two-star general rank or police director.
The President has yet to approve the promotion of Chief Supt. Christopher Laxa, acting director for Human Resource and Doctrine Development, and Chief Supt. Dominador Aquino Jr., acting chief of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations–Eastern Mindanao.
Napolcom vice chair and executive officer Eduardo Escueta said they recommended the promotion of the two officials to two-star general rank “since their present positions call for the rank of police director.”
At the same time, the agency also recommended the promotion to chief superintendent or one-star general of 10 police senior superintendents, including one police official linked to the Jan. 25 Mamasapano incident.
These are: Senior Supt. Billy Beltran, acting secretary of the Directorial Staff of the Chief Directorial Staff; Senior Supt. Joel Victor Canapi, acting executive officer, Directorate for Comptrollership; Senior Supt. Rolando Felix, acting executive officer, Directorate for Operations;
Senior Supt. Eric Serafin Reyes, acting chief, National Operations Center of the Directorate for Operations; Senior Supt. Fernando Mendez Jr., acting director, Intelligence Group; Senior Supt. Marrieto Valerio, acting deputy regional director for administration, Police Regional Office 6;
Senior Supt. Eddie Benigay, acting regional director, Regional Internal Affairs Service 7; Senior Supt. Sergio Dimandal, acting deputy regional director for administration, PRO 10; Senior Supt. Robert Quenery, acting deputy regional director for administration, PRO Cordillera; and Senior Supt. Noel Armilla, acting deputy regional director for administration, PRO Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Mendez is a veteran police intelligence official who provided the “intelligence packet” which became the basis of the ill-fated operation of the Special Action Force in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
His name cropped up during the separate investigations of the Philippine National Police board of inquiry and both the Senate and Congress as the police official who provided the intelligence packet to then suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima and ex-PNP SAF chief Director Getulio Napeñas.
The SAF operation resulted in the deaths of 44 commandos who were out to arrest Malaysian bombmaker Zulkifli bin Hir aka Marwan and his Filipino cohort Basit Usman.
Based on the separate inquiries, Mendez was with Purisima and Napeñas when they briefed President Aquino on Jan. 9 about the operation.
The Napolcom recommended the promotion of the 10 senior police officials to President Aquino as Philippine National Police officer in charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina recommended their promotion and certified that they met all the requirements for promotion. RC