MORE NEWS, ABRA

PNP report:Some Abra mayors not reporting in their offices
By Mar T. Supnad

BANGUED, Abra — Some Abra mayors who were accused of not holding offices in their municipal halls were mentioned in a report of a ranking Philippine National Police officer who had recommended an inquiry on reasons why they were not reporting in their respective offices.

Senior Supt. Noel Manabat, chief of the Task Force Abra, has written Gov. Eustaqiuo Bersamin to investigate Tineg town Mayor Edwin Crisologo and other town mayors for not regularly holding offices in their own municipal halls.

This, according to Manabat’s report, could be "derailing government services to the public."

But this report is not a secret here, especially among local newsmen, as this practice has been observed to be happening for a long time already.

As this developed, around 80 policemen were deployed recently in the remote town of Tineg that has been wracked by political killings and a reported worsening criminality.

Chief Supt. Eugene G. Martin, Police Regional Office 2 director, and Sr. Supt. Alex Pumecha, Abra PNP director, reportedly, had assured Crisologo that the PNP will support his measures to address peace and order concerns in his town.

This is one of the issues highlighted on a classified report by the Abra Police Provincial Police Office in response to reports from daily national newspapers that the government, particularly the Cordillera police regional command, had been allegedly remiss in rendering the needed services particularly ensuring the protection and security of politicians.

But the report approved by Abra police director S/Supt. Alexander Pumecha said that elected Tineg officials should return to the municipality to personally serve their constituents and not to hold office in the capital town of Bangued due to alleged security reasons.

Issues and concerns that have great impacts on the general populace of Tineg town are not being addressed substantially, it was observed here, because of the non-presence of some of the elected officials in the municipality.

Manabat, who is also the deputy regional director for operations of the Cordillera police, has written Bersamin last May 15 requesting an inquiry into the reasons why Crisologo could not be located in his office.