Shake up of Cordillera police officers looming

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet -- A shake-up of all provincial police commanders is looming in the Cordillera. 

On March 1, a new Baguio City police director, will be assuming as an officer-in-charge, replacing Sr. Supt. Jesus Cambay Jr., said Cordillera police director Chief Supt. Isagani Nerez.

Nerez in his letter on Feb. 18, received by Mayor Mauricio Domogan the next day informed the latter of his intention to replace Cambay with Senior Supt. Rolando Miranda, chief of the Police Regional Office Cordillera Regional Operations and Plans Division, effective March 1, 2014."

But Cambay Jr. will remain as director of the Baguio City police, Mayor Mauricio Domogan announced Wednesday.

The mayor said Nerez decided to retain Cambay during their dialogue last Tuesday where the chief executive threw his vote of confidence for the beleaguered police director and attested to his adequate performance.

He said concerns raised by Nerez have been relayed to Cambay for action and they expect the police chief to address them for the further improvement of peace and order programs in the city.

Nerez last week informed the mayor of Cambay’s impending replacement on March 1 or six months before he completes his prescribed two-year tour of duty in the city in September but the mayor and Rep. Nicasio Aliping Jr., in their reply, asked Nerez to forgo with the plan saying they are satisfied with Cambay’s performance.

Some councilors also backed Cambay’s retention with Councilor Leandro Yangot Jr. proposing a resolution “expressing the city government’s uncompromising and full support” for him and noting the adverse effect of the “sudden and unilateral replacement of the BCPO director” on the implementation of security and peace and order programs amid the numerous and crowd-drawing events lined up in the city for the summer vacation.

The body on Monday decided to invite Nerez to its session on March 10 to shed light on his position.

Domogan said he also received resolutions of support for Cambay from the barangays and the Hotel and Restaurants Association of Baguio (HRAB) which also attested to Cambay’s satisfactory performance.

Earlier, police directors in Kalinga and Apayao were replaced with officers-in-charge and the local officials accepted it with open arms, Nerez said as he explained that the Philippine National Police is only after the good performance of the police commanders.

A continuing assessment of police directors show those performing and not performing, the police official said. Those not performing will be given an opportunity “to make up and shape up."

"Performers should stay and those who are not will be reminded by the organization to help them internalize the ideals and mission of the organization,”  Nerez said.

The shake up sits well with some officials like in Kalinga and Ifugao, Nerez said. Officials there, after consulting them, opened up to the organization’s direction, he said.

But in Baguio City, Councilor Leandro Yangot, Jr. led city officials in supporting Cambay, whose position is reportedly being eyed by a police officer close to Nerez.

Citing the city mayor’s authority to appoint the city’s police director, Yangot said the existing “guidelines, rules and regulations, Chiefs of Police of Municipal Police Stations and Directors of City Provincial and Regional Police Offices have a tour of duty of at least two years in their respective assignments.”

A police director on an officer-in-charge capacity is given six months minimum and two years maximum stay, “but when performance is at stake,  the PNP organization cannot follow that in letter for obvious reasons,” Nerez said.

Cambay was appointed as Baguio City Police Office Director in September 2012 and his supposed prescribed tour of duty will end in September 2014 or more or less seven months from now.

Cambay’s “sudden and unilateral replacement” will  distort and disrupt the implementation and execution of the security and peace and order programs and plans which were put in place in preparation for the Baguio Flower Festival that ends in March 2, Yangot said.

What we are after for, Nerez added, is the shaping up of the organization that ultimately ends with how the welfare of the people are being served by our policemen. – Aileen P. Refuerzo