Aquino leads oath-taking of PNP officials

President Benigno Aquino III leads the oathtaking of newly-promoted star rank officers of the PNP. KRISTINE SABILLO/INQUIRER.net

President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday led the oath-taking of newly promoted police officials, including Director General Ricardo Marquez, who was recently appointed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief.

READ: Marquez named as new PNP chief

Forty-nine star-rank PNP officials attended the oath-taking ceremony at the Rizal Hall in Malacañang.

Besides Marquez, the following officers took their oaths before the President:

• Deputy Director General Danilo Constantino
• Director Dominador Aquino Jr.
• Director Wilfredo Franco
• Director Christopher Laxa
• Director Moro Virgilio Lazo
• Director James Andres Melad
• Chief Superintendent Ulysses Abellera
• Chief Superintendent Arnold Albis
• Chief Superintendent Roberto Aliggayu
• Chief Superintendent Ramon Apolinario
• Chief Superintendent Noel Armilla
• Chief Superintendent Pablo Francisco Balagtas
• Chief Superintendent Allen Bantolo
• Chief Superintendent Eddie Benigay
• Chief Superintendent Pierre Bucsit
• Chief Superintendent Joel Victor Canapi
• Chief Superintendent Vert Chavez
• Chief Superintendent Bernardo Diaz
• Chief Superintendent Federico Dulay Jr.
• Chief Superintendent Teresita Dumlao
• Chief Superintendent Rolando Feliz
• Chief Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan
• Chief Superintendent Rainier Idio
• Chief Superintendent Rudy Lacadin
• Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor
• Chief Superintendent Fernando Mendez
• Chief Superintendent Jonathan Ferdinand Miano
• Chief Superintendent Rolando Nana
• Chief Superintendent Ramon Ochotorena
• Chief Superintendent Joel Pagdilao
• Chief Superintendent Efren Perez
• Chief Superintendent Alexander Pumecha
• Chief Superintendent Robert Quenery
• Chief Superintendent Nestor Quinsay Jr.
• Chief Superintendent Eric Serafin Reyes
• Chief Superintendent Ronald Santos
• Chief Superintendent Keith Ernald Siñgian
• Chief Superintendent John Sosito
• Chief Superintendent Alberto Supapo
• Chief Superintendent Napoleon Taas
• Chief Superintendent Noli Taliño
• Chief Superintendent Rey Tang
• Chief Superintendent Edgardo Tinio Jr.
• Chief Superintendent Cedrick Train
• Chief Superintendent Orlando Ualat
• Chief Superintendent Marietto Valerio Jr.
• Chief Superintendent Ericson Velasquez
• Chief Superintendent Ricardo Zapata

Marquez, who headed that task force that secured Pope Francis when he visited the country in January, was announced as the new PNP head last month. He replaced then officer-in-charge Director General Leonardo Espina, who took over the PNP following the suspension of then-PNP chief Alan Purisima.

The oath-taking was held five days after the 114th police service anniversary where Special Action Force (SAF) troopers were allegedly excluded from the list of awardees.

READ: SAF men removed from PNP awards list

An exclusive report by the INQUIRER.net said slain SAF trooper PO2 Romeo Cempron and Mamasapano survivor Superintendent Raymund Train were supposed to receive service medals but were removed from the list allegedly because of a “verbal instruction” by the Presidential Management Staff.

The report said Mendez, who provided the intelligence packet for the covert operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, was also among those who should have been awarded.

READ: Was Palace behind removal of SAF men from awards list?

Both the PNP leadership and Malacañang denied the report, citing delays in the awarding process.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the evaluation process could be a “lengthy” because it required “thorough evaluation.

READ: Malacañang denies hand in SAF snub at PNP anniversary

Aquino has been accused of snubbing the SAF, which he did not mention in his last State of the Nation Address. He has been partly blamed for the botched operation, which succeeded in killing international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir (alias Marwan) but also led to the deaths of 44 SAF troopers, 17 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and at least three civilians.

He was accused of allowing Purisima, who later resigned, to direct the covert operation despite being suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman.