PNP chief Camilo Cascolan yesterday said he wants National Capital Region Police chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas “promoted” to a desk job at Camp Crame, three months after Sinas figured in controversial mananita to celebrate his birthday.
In a television interview, Cascolan said he is eyeing Brig. Gen. Vicente Danao, currently the director of the CALABARZON Regional Police Office, to succeed Sinas as NCRPO chief.
Danao is a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1991 while Sinas is from the PMA class 1987.
“We have to evaluate him properly. Of course, the guy deserves also an evaluation and of course a promotion, too,” Cascolan said of Sinas, who was named to the coveted NCRPO post in October last year, replacing then Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar.
If named to a directorial staff post, Sinas will only have a handful of personnel under him. As NCRPO chief, he has control over tens of thousands of policemen assigned in Metro Manila.
Cascolan said his plan to “kick Sinas upstairs” is not related to the mananita that was thrown for Sinas by his subordinates last May in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health protocols, including non-wearing of face masks and observing physical distancing, were violated during the mananita.
Sinas and his subordinates were criminally and administratively charged for the infraction.
Cascolan said he is considering Danao to be the next NCRPO chief, noting that Danao “is doing a good job.”
Cascolan also said he cancelled two midnight appointments of his predecessor, now retired Gen. Archie Gamboa. Cascolan assumed command as PNP chief on September 2 when Gamboa reached the retirement age of 56.
Affected by Cascolan’s move were Col. Arthur Cabalona and Brig. Gen. Herminio Tadeo.
Cabalona, previously with the Directorate for Comptrollership, was named by Gamboa as the director of the PNP Health Service, the former post of Tadeo who was named director of the PNP Finance Service.
“I had to cancel an appointment by the former chief PNP. It was a midnight appointment,” Cascolan said, adding he has re-assigned Cabalona as executive officer at the Directorate for Comptrollership “and that’s a very good position, too.”
Cascolan said he has re-assigned Tadeo to be the executive officer of the Directorate for Information and Communication Technology Management.
Cascolan said he also put on hold the assignment of Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro as the director of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations-Southern Luzon on the latter’s request.
Ferro will remain the director of the Central Visayas regional police office. Ferro was supposed to be replaced by Anti-Kidnapping Group chief Brig. Jonnel Estomo as Central Visayas regional police director. Estomo’s supposed successor at the AKG is Brig. Gen. Joseph Ulysses Gohel.
Cascolan said his earlier decision to re-assign Ferro as head of DIPO-Southern Luzon was not a demotion, noting the post is a two-star position.
He said Ferro is his “man,” adding “we need people who are snappy, good and has the moral ascendancy and service reputation to lead the DIPO.”
