BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan wants ranking police officers of the Police Regional Office (PRO) in the Cordillera, the involved driver and security escort and embattled SPO3 Alberto C. Tadeo to have a face-to-face confrontation to see who is telling the truth about a traffic incident that resulted in the sudden relief and transfer of the city’s devoted traffic enforcer to Apayao simply because he apprehended the vehicle of a regional official that violated the city’s number coding scheme.
The local chief executive wants Chief Superintendent Elmo Francis Sarona, PRO-COR regional director, and Senior Superintendent Gregorio Lim, deputy regional director for administration, and his security escort and driver to have a confrontation with SPO3 Alberto C. Tadeo in his presence to ferret out the truth on the matter and to spare the bad image of the PNP created by the unceremonious transfer of the respected traffic officer for having politely reminded Lim’s driver and escort of their violation.
“We do not want this matter to go out of control because of the insistence of PRO-COR officials that they are not within our jurisdiction. We do not adhere to such argument because we believe we are all in government and we have to peacefully settle issues that crop up in the exercise of our respective duties and responsibilities,” Domogan stressed.
He said he wants the confrontation to take place before the City Council resumes session on January 9, 2017, to put an end to the brewing issue that earned the ire of netizens who expressed their overwhelming support for Tadeo and denounced as cowardly act and abuse of power and authority the transfer of Tadeo without due process.
(See related story: Relief of devoted traffic cop slammed)
Domogan admitted he cannot control the members of the City Council once they will decide to pass the resolution declaring Lim as persona non grata in the city because the executive department is independent of the legislative branch, thus, the need for all parties to come out with a possible solution before the worst case scenario will happen that will jeopardize Lim’s career as a future general.
Pending the confrontation, Domogan claimed it is prudent on the part of Sarona and Lim to defer the transfer order to allow all parties to be present and for them to tell the truth on what really transpired during the incident so that Lim will not only rely on the statements of his driver only.
(See also: City council also acts, Cordillera police official to be declared ‘persona non grata’)
Domogan expressed disappointment over the evasive attitude of the ranking regional police officials on his earlier request for dialogue on the matter as the penalty imposed on Tadeo for doing his job is considered unfair and grave compared to the reprieve granted to Lim’s driver, who should have been the one penalized for violating the city’s number coding scheme.
Instead of lifting the morale of lower rank police officers for doing their job, Lim’s action demoralized the city’s traffic enforcers because they now fear that they will also suffer the same fate once they do their job in apprehending vehicles of ranking police officials who violate traffic rules and regulations in the city.
By Dexter A. See
Glory to SPO3 Tadeo. He must be promoted at once. Sr. Sup Gregorio Lim must be put to shame and must be demoted to PO1 and assigned and work as traffic enforcer.
To be fair,ginawa lang nya trabaho nya.Sana walang position dito.Eh magbayad ka din at nag violate kayo.