The Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Thursday, July 11, that the series of reassignments in the Davao City Police Office are not politically motivated.
PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said this in a press briefing in Camp Crame after the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) changed leadership thrice within the day on Wednesday, July 10.
Col. Lito Patay reported to work as the Davao City Police Office’s (DCPO) “officer-in-charge” (OIC) on Wednesday morning but was relieved by lunchtime.
At 4:08 p.m., the Police Regional Office 11 (PRO-11) spokesperson, Maj. Catherine dela Rey, told the local reporters covering the police beat through a group chat that Col. Sherwin Butil, the head of PRO-11’s Regional Information and Communications Technology Management Division, would take over as the new OIC.
At 8:48 p.m., Dela Rey finally declared in the same group chat that, as of Wednesday, the “acting city director” would be Col. Hansel M. Marantan, the Area Police Command for Southern Luzon’s stable internal peace and security officer.
Meanwhile, Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has denounced the regular turnover of the city’s police chiefs, claiming that it is “politically motivated.”
“Siguro, because of some political issues, nahahaluan po ng kulay po ito,” Fajardo said in the said press briefing in Quezon City the following day.
“But we want to assure everyone that this is far from reality yung nangyayari na sinasabi na dinudugtong po itong nangyayari sa Davao because of the current political issues,” Fajardo added.
Fajardo also clarified that the selection of officials is based on their potential contribution to PNP activities.
Prior to the shakeup earlier this week, 35 police officers – including Police Colonel Richard Bad-ang, the chief of the Davao City Police Office – were relieved in May to make room for the investigation into drug-related homicides in the city.
Fajardo said Police Colonel Rolindo Suguilon, the deputy regional director of Police Region Office (PRO) 11, replaced Bad-ang.
Twelve police officers and three police officers were relieved in June due to alleged violations during the execution of the arrest warrant for Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
Brigadier General Aligre Martinez of PRO 11 Police was among those who were relieved.
Police Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III took Martinez’s place. According to Fajardo, Suguilon was fired by Torre from the Davao City Police Office. (TCSP)
