New Northern Mindanao police chief named

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Northern Mindanao got a new police director in Chief Supt. Noel Constantino, who was installed on Friday.

Constantino, who once headed the Philippine National Police Academy, replaced Chief Supt. Lyndel Desquitado, whose retirement immediately took effect.

In his installation speech, Constantino vowed to wage a relentless war against illegal drug and criminality, regardless of who were involved.

“If you refuse to surrender peacefully and insist on doing with your illicit activity, we will throw the book at you, we will hit you hard and hit you harder again and again until you are no longer able to do your illegal activity,” he said.

Constantino said police officers suspected of involvement in the illegal drug trade would be treated “just like any other ordinary criminal.”

“Make no mistake, there will be no rest, there will be no letup in the total war against illegal drugs and other forms of organized crime in this region,” he said.

To date, 37 noncommissioned police officers in the region had been found positive for illegal drug use. Twenty of them had already been booted out of service while the rest were still undergoing dismissal process.