2 policemen lauded, 2 top cops relieved

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – While two policemen were lauded by Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II for their successful arrests, one station commander was under fire for failing to curb crime in his area and another was relieved for allegedly allowing his men to misreport crime statistics.

Director Carmelo Valmoria, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, ordered the administrative relief of Manila Police District Station 11 commander Superintendent Luis Francisco Jr. and Caloocan City Police chief Superintendent Bernard Tamboan.

Roxas, in a statement on Thursday, said Francisco was sacked for failing to “reduce crime incidents in his area of responsibility.”

Tambaoan, meanwhile, was relieved “due to certain deficiencies in administrative performance.”

Earlier media reports said the erstwhile top police official of Caloocan was accused of allegedly allowing his personnel to falsify their area’s crime statistics in a bid to lower their crime rates.

“The leadership of NCRPO has sent a strong signal to all Chiefs of Police and Station Commanders in Metro Manila that they will be relieved from their posts if they cannot keep up with their performance to bring down crime incidents in their areas of responsibility,” Roxas said in a statement.

Accolades

Senior Superintendent Rudy Lacadin and Police Officer 2 Cesar Tolentino were recognized by Roxas for their “heroic act” by arresting high-value targets.

Though a Caloocan City policeman, Tolentino neutralized two armed men who robbed a gas station in Quezon City where he was filling up his motorcycle last August 17.

Tolentino, who arrested the robbers despite being off-duty, will be given a rank higher as his promotion.

Lacadin, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) deputy chief for operations, with his men, arrested the leader and two members of the notorious Alvin Nidua gun-for-hire group, who are considered high-value targets in Metro Manila.

Alvin Nidua and his accomplices Joel Palacio and Allan Loreno were arrested after exchanging fire with CIDG men, along C6 road, Lower Bicutan in Taguig City last August 13.

Nidua has been tagged in the killing of several people in Metro Manila, Laguna, Antipolo, Pampanga, Tarlac, Camarines Sur and in Daraga, Albay.

His victims included SPO4 Rogelio Salver, who was killed in Purok 5, Lower Bicutan in October 2010.

Lacadin’s men succeeded in arresting Bureau of Customs (BOC) employee Ethel Bernas for extorting up to P1.5 million from traders operating at Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals in Pasay City.

Roxas also lauded the NCRPO for the recent arrests of “carnap king” Mac Lester Reyes and three of his members in Caloocan City, Arnold Binasoy, who is one of the Most Wanted Person in Isabela; and the arrest of Roger Rasaban, the third Most Wanted Person in Pasay City.

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