A police chief in Negros Occidental is facing imminent relief for allegedly releasing a person under his custody, while four police chiefs in Bacolod City were warned of relief from their posts, if other police units will once again conduct an anti-illegal gambling drive in their area.
Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol told the DAILY STAR yesterday said that he issued the warnings to Senior Inspectors Dianne Grace Aquitania of Police Station 4 and Jerick Filosofo of Police Station 8, Chief Inspectors Noel Polines and Placido Gentoleo of Police Stations 6 and 8, respectively, all under the supervision of the Bacolod City Police Office.
Querol also ordered them to conduct an anti-illegal gambling drive on their own.
Senior Supt. Allan Guisihan, provincial police director of Negros Occidental, meanwhile, confirmed yesterday the imminent relief of Supt. Alexander Munoz as Victorias City police chief, as ordered by Chief Supt. Querol.
Guisihan said Munoz is in hot water for releasing a suspect, placed under his custody.
He said he will consult Victorias Mayor Severo Palanca on the relief of Munoz, and his possible successor.
The Philippine National police is implementing nationwide the “one-strike policy” on illegal gambling, in which a police chief may be relieved from his or her post if other police units conduct an anti-illegal gambling drive in his area without the participation of his office.
“Even if they hold a joint operation, it is still unacceptable, because the police chiefs and their men need to exert efforts on their own without relying on other police units in anti-illegal gambling drives”, Querol said.
Querol also belied reports that he removed Filosofo and Polines from their posts for poor performance in the anti-illegal gambling drive. He said that there what he issued was only a “memorandum of admonishment” and not relief orders.
The four police chiefs assured Querol tha they will exert efforts in their anti-illegal gambling campaign so they will not be removed from their posts.
Aquitania said they are not remiss in their jobs, because they conduct three to five illegal gambling operations in a week. If there were times when they cannot focus on the illegal gambling drive, that is because they need to attend to other crime incidents, she added.
Filosofo said he has not yet received the memorandum warning him to improve their anti-illegal gambling drive but added that he and his men are putting 100 percent effort on it.
As for Gentoleo, he said, with or without a memorandum, they will continue to intensify their anti-illegal gambling operations in their areas.
Polines, who was relieved as Station2 chief last year when the members of the Regional Special Operations Group raided a hotel under his jurisdiction without the participation of his men, said he was surprised to learn that he was among those given a warning by the PRO-6.
Polines said they are performing well, but the problem is when they arrest a bettor, some influential people lobby from them to release the person they have apprehended.
He said that now that he has received a warning from the PRO-6, he will no longer spare any “sacred cows” as far as the illegal gambling drive is concerned.*GPB/APN
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