Changing police chiefs

EDITORIAL

The “unceremonious” and abrupt recall of Baguio City police director Senior Supt. Ramil Saculles has highlighted rules that local governments have to be informed first before such recall or reinstatement of police chiefs will be done by the Philippine National Police.  

The recall of Saculles by the PNP leadership made Mayor Mauricio Domogan to ask Malacanang to return the chief of police considering Baguio officials were not informed or consulted on the matter.

Malacanang in turn asked the PNP to return Saculles prompting PNP Police Director General Oscar Albayalde to withdraw the appointment of Senior Supt. Gerardo Omayao, former chief of police of Makati, as OIC city director of Baguio and reinstating Saculles to his old post.

This, while the national PNP leadership is reviewing its  list of eligible city police heads to head the Baguio police office.

"We are not questioning if there is a need to change the posting of policemen, as they can be assigned anywhere in the country. However, they should also recognize that there are rules in the local government code and the PNP that give the local government the opportunity to be consulted in the screening of who will head the police force and implement the peace and order programs in the city,” Domogan told the media.

On June 28, word spread that Saculles had been relieved from his post as Baguio City police director.

Until July 2, no communication was received by the city government on the change in the police leadership. But in the afternoon of that day, a turnover was held, posting Omayao as OIC city director of Baguio.

Domogan considered the turnover "unceremonious" saying it could affect the peace and order situation in Baguio.

He contacted Palace officials and PNP headquarters. At the same time, the city council passed a resolution authored by Councilor Edgar Avila, urging the PNP to clarify the procedure of changing the chief of a locality's police force.

Domogan told the PNP leadership that an officer-in-charge of the police force of Baguio must be someone who knows at least the geographical landscape of the city.

He said whenever a locality's peace and order situation is disturbed, it is always local officials who are blamed for it. He said the local government must have knowledge of the movements in its own police force.

On July 3, the mayor's office received a note that Albayalde had ordered the withdrawal of the appointment of Omayao to Baguio and ordered, instead, the return of Saculles as head of the city police. 

Domogan said the sudden change of guard in the city police was uncalled for, when Baguio City is facing the risk of a spillover of an ongoing row between two tribes from Kalinga province, as some Kalinga tribesmen stay in the city to either study or work.

The mayor, however, said the Kalinga tribesmen are signatories to a peace pact that says Baguio is a peace zone, where members of conflicting tribes are supposed to be spared from their conflict.

Domogan said the national government itself encourages coordination among agencies and the community like in changing police directors.

“The law says coordinate. It is a matter of courtesy and respect, especially so that it is the officials of the city who are blamed by the residents if there are peace and order problems in the community,” he said.