LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Mayor Romeo K. Salda was surprised after the untimely relief of the chief of the La Trinidad Municipal Police Station (LTMPS) that was effected right after he left for an official trip to Japan last week.
The local chief executive claimed that the relief of the town’s chief of police when he was out of the country was the second time in a row during his incumbency and within a period of 7 months.
Last week, Police Maj. Joeffer Banglayan was suddenly relived as chief of the LTMPS and he was replaced by Police Maj. Roland Cabatan.
In December 2018, Banglayan replaced former LTMPS chief Police Maj. Benson Macliing when Mayor Salda was on official travel to Israel.
“We were surprised to learn that our chief of police was replaced as per text messages that we received when we were in Japan. It was the second time that happened during my incumbency that is why we do not understand the wisdom behind replacing the chief of police in my absence,” Mayor Salda stressed.
He said that he also does not understand why the Philippine National Police (PNP) cannot wait for his presence to effect the change in the leadership of the town’s police force that is why people continue to doubt the reason of the sudden relief of the LTMPS head.
While it is true that the PNP has the mandate to provide the local chief executive with the shortlist of police officers who are qualified to be chosen as chief of police, Salda pointed out that the PNP should provide him with a justifiable reason to suddenly replace the chief of police assigned in the municipality instead of doing such act when concerned local officials are on official travel outside the country.
According to him, it is still best for the PNP leadership to closely coordinate with the local chief executive on the relief of the assigned chief of police in a certain locality to avoid doubts on the purpose of the sudden change in the leadership of the LTMPS without completing his supposed 2-year tour of duty.
He admitted that the fact that the relief of the LTMPS was done when he was out of the country twice in a row already casts doubt on the wisdom behind such relief when the relieved police officer was doing his job above par.
Mayor Salda expressed his gratitude to Banglayan for his 7 months tour of duty in the municipality as chief of the LTMPS and wished him the best of luck in his future assignments in the PNP while he issued the marching orders to Cabatan to ensure the stoppage of all illegal gambling operations in the municipality considering reports on the alleged resurgence of illegal gambling operations.
He claimed that he already gave instructions to the new police chief on the possible locations of the illegal gambling sites which should be given immediate attention but he already casts doubt on the ability of the local police to stop such illegal gambling activities considering that what reached him was that the subsequent police operations turned out to be negative on the supposed presence of illegal gambling amidst the enormous text message that he is receiving on the presence of such illegal gambling activities in the town.
By HENT