LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—Barely 27 days after an officer-in-charge (OIC) provincial police director assumed office in Pangasinan, a new OIC police official was named to the post and replaced him on Friday.
Senior Supt. Belli Tamayo, who was designated to the post only on May 13, turned over the police leadership to Senior Supt. Rollie Saltat.
Saltat, who had served as chief of police in different towns and cities of the province, is Pangasinan’s eighth OIC police director since 2010, records showed.
Board Member Alfonso Bince Jr. called the appointment a “senseless and absurd policy.”
An act of disservice
“This is an act of disservice for the people of Pangasinan, as well as to the rank and file of the police force, in the sense that there is no continuity of action plans in so far as the peace and order campaign in the province is concerned,” Bince said on Monday.
It also ridicules and dilutes the provisions of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998 (Republic Act No. 8551), which stipulates the designation of a regular provincial police director who will serve for two years, he said.
“How can an OIC, given a temporary tour of duty, effectively implement his action plan for peace and order in the province?” Bince asked.
Confusion
The designation of OIC police directors also creates confusion among police officers because once an OIC is assigned, he will have to reorganize the police force, the board member said.
Two weeks ago, Tamayo appeared at the provincial board’s regular session to present his plans and programs.
“He has such a splendid action plan on discipline, on community relations, but how were these implemented? It has not even taken off the ground,” Bince said.
Tamayo had said he could not transfer personnel from one unit to another without clearance from the regional police office. But he said his designation did not prevent him from implementing laws against all forms of criminality.
The first OIC provincial police director since 2010 was Senior Supt. Rosueto Ricaforte, who served for two years, records showed. In 2012, three acting directors were appointed, including Senior Supt. Marlou Chan, who served until 2014.
Three more OIC police directors were appointed after Chan.
“Under the present setup, and given the temporary and unstable nature of the designation, the OIC provincial director does not really have an incentive, and sees no urgency, to make any long range plans, or to embark on any ambitious projects,” Gov. Amado Espino Jr. said in a letter to Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, acting PNP chief.
The practice made him feel ignored and bypassed in filling up a very important and sensitive position, considering that the governor chairs the Provincial Peace and Order Council, Espino said. Gabriel Cardinoza and Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Northern Luzon