Bacolod City Police Office Director, Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, admitted yesterday that the suspension of Supt. Santiago Rapiz will be a major setback in their campaign against illegal drugs and illegal gambling.

De la Paz however, said the setback will only be temporary because he is confident that Supt. Alexander Ermeo and Senior Insp. Niel Exaltado, who replaced Rapiz as head of the Special Operations Group and the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Group, respectively, can also perform well.

Rapiz was meted a three-month suspension by the office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices effective June 16 for simple neglect of duty in connection with the complaint filed by a certain Carlota Villadar of Brgy. Libertad in Escalante City, Negros Occidental, where he used to be assigned as chief of Police.

Villadar’s husband Sergio Villadar, now deceased, was arrested by the members of the Public Safety Management Battalion, then led by Senior Insp. Richie Gohee, for alleged illegal gun possession on May 7, 2012 but was not immediately remitted to the court, police records showed.

Rapiz said they failed to bring Villadar to the court then because there was no office as it was a weekend, and May 10 was election day and added charges were politically motivated.

He added that the suspension will not affect his desire to serve the public as a police officer.

Aside from Rapiz, Supt. Leonardo Borromeo, head of the BCPO Intelligence Branch was also suspended for six months for conduct unbecoming of a police officer.

Borromeo has declined to comment on the suspension, saying that it is not yet final.*APN

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