DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 16 July)—The chair of city council’s committee on peace and public safety, lawyer Luna Acosta, has accused the Philippine National Police (PNP) of violating the law on police reform and reorganization with the appointment of the latest city police chief.
Councilor Luna Acosta, in her privilege speech Tuesday, claimed that the appointment of Col. Hansel M. Marantan as chief of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) violated Republic Act 6975 (or the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990), as amended through RA 8551 (also known as PNP Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998).
She expounded that these laws “explicitly state that the city mayor has the authority to choose the chief of police from a list of five eligibles recommended by the PNP regional director, preferably from the same city, province, or municipality.”
Marantan, who took command of the DCPO on Monday, was plucked out of his post from Southern Luzon, as stable internal peace and security officer of the Area Police Command in the region.
Following Acosta’s privilege speech, the Sangguniang Panlungsod passed a resolution to invite Marantan and Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, chief of Police Regional Office-11 (PRO-11), as well as a representative from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), which has jurisdiction over the PNP.
Acosta stressed that the frequent change of the chief of the DCPO, whether in “acting” or “officer-in-charge” capacity, “threatens the safety and security of all Dabawenyos, as public safety demands continuity and collaboration.”
Davao City has seen frequent changes in its police chiefs the past few months, highlighted by the bizarre changes on July 10 when three officers took over command of the DCPO in one single day.
Col. Richard Bad-ang was installed as city police director on March 23 and lasted only two months. He was relieved after a motu propio investigation following the death of seven people believed to be involved in the illegal drugs trade. The deaths came shortly after the declaration of a “war on drugs” by Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte.
Bad-ang was replaced by Col. Rolando Soguilon.
Then on July 10, Col. Lito Patay, who was designated as DCPO “officer-in-charge” (OIC), reported to his post to assume Soguilon’s command, who was then “on leave,” according to Maj. Catherine dela Rey, PRO-11 spokesperson. Patay was appointed OIC two days earlier by Torre.
While holding his first command conference with the fresh set of 19 newly appointed station commanders in the city at the DCPO headquarters, Patay was informed before noon that he had been relieved of his post. He was then replaced by Col. Sherwin Butil, who headed PRO-11’s Regional Information and Communications Technology Management Division, as the new OIC.
Finally, at 8:48 p.m., Marantan was named the “acting city director” effective Wednesday, relieving Butil.
Acosta said that Mayor Duterte picked Patay as the next city director from the list of five officers recommended by the PRO-11. When Patay was relieved only a few hours after taking command and replaced by Butil, Acosta said it was still “okay, because he was on the list.”
Marantan was “not on the list”, which “shocked the city mayor,” said the councilor.
Acosta said that with Marantan’s designation as “acting” city director, she is worried how long will Marantan’s appointment last.
She pointed out that under Section 63 of the RA 8551, police officers-in-charge cannot be designated for more than 30 days.
“We will invite them repeatedly if they will not come next Tuesday, and if they will send their representatives, they must make sure that they are capable of explaining to us what is really happening,” Acosta said in the vernacular in a sideline interview during the city council session.
Expressing support, Councilor Conrado Baluran said it might have been because the PNP “bypassed” the city mayor’s authority to assign its city director, which demands explanation from the PRO-11.
Councilor Pilar Braga, chair of the education, science and technology, arts and culture committee, said that the recent reshuffle of city police directors is “unsettling,” which creates a “perception of instability within and outside Davao City.”
“Just when we are preparing for the beginning of a new school year, local education officials, teachers, parents, and students do not feel secure with the seemingly chaotic state of the local police,” Braga said.
On Friday, PNP chief Rommel Francisco Marbil said during a press conference streamed live over the Facebook page of the DILG that the reshuffle was meant to “meet the standards” of the police organization, as they need to “meet their performance indicators… to see a very effective PNP.”
Marbil also said this is not, in any way, politically motivated, and that this is just part of a “normal” process of the organization. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
