THE chief of the Central Visayas regional police was ordered relieved yesterday by PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa.
The relief of Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon came weeks after his men were sacked for violating Gamboa’s order against playing golf on weekdays.
De Leon was re-assigned to the office of the PNP chief in Camp Crame, said PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac who added the golf issue was just one of the reasons for the relief.
“For many reasons and evaluation of factors … Combination of all factors,” said Banac.
“Over-all performance; campaign against illegal drugs, illegal gambling and corruption; implementation of internal cleansing program against rogue cops; compliance to specific orders on discipline of personnel, for example playing golf during office hours, etc,” he added.
Also relieved yesterday were the Col. Emma Libunao, director of the Bulacan provincial police, and Col. Gil Francis Tria, chief of the Highway Patrol Group-Intelligence Division.
They were also re-assigned to h the office of the PNP chief.
The PNP did not say the reason for their relief.
De Leon, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1989, will be replaced with his PMA classmate, Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, the deputy chief for operations of the National Capital Police Office. It was not clear who will take Ferro’s post at the NCRPO.
On January 23, Gamboa ordered the relief of De Leon’s subordinate officers in the regional police — Col. Dennis Artil, Lt. Col. Richard Bad-Ang, and Lt. Col. Glenn Madayag — for playing golf during a weekday.
Gamboa prohibited all police personnel from playing golf during weekdays shortly after he became PNP officer-in-charge last year. Gamboa took over as the full-time PNP chief on January 20.
Artil was the comptroller, Bad-ang was the finance service chief, while Madayag was head of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group in the region.
In announcing the relief of Artil, Bad-Ang and Madayag, Gamboa said, “It’s strike one for the regional director, PRO-7 (Police Regional Office-7).” But Gamboa said then it does not necessarily mean De Leon will be relieved.
De Leon has supported Gamboa’s decision to relieve the three, saying they violated specific instructions of the PNP chief. He said he would have also relieved them if he were the PNP chief.
