A POLICE general who was rebuked by Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. for supposedly angling to become PNP chief has been designated as the new director of the Central Luzon regional police office.
PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa appointed Brig. Gen. Rhodel Orden Sermonia as the new Central Luzon police chief effective last Monday, according to PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac.
Sermonia, a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1989, replaced Brig. Gen. Joel Coronel, who was earlier named as chief of the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Sermonia is the outgoing deputy director of the PNP Directorate for Police Community Relations and former head of the Police Community Relations Group.
Last month, Locsin berated Sermonia for supposedly angling for the job of then PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde, who was supposed to retire this Friday, Nov. 8.
Albayalde resigned last month amid allegations of illegal drug recycling.
“There is a certain Sermonia who’s angling to take Albayalde’s job and is making the rounds of my embassies. Hey, you shit, stay away or I’ll fucking kill you. I don’t give a flying fuck who your connections are. They can fuck themselves,” Locsin had said.
Sermonia had denied Locsin’s claim.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano has recommended to President Duterte three officials — Gamboa, PNP deputy chief for operations Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar and PNP Chief Directorial Staff Lt. Gen. Camilo Cascolan — as replacement of Albayalde.
Sermonia had said he cannot preempt the selection process for the top PNP post. He also noted there are other police officials more senior than him who are qualified for the job.
Gamboa also designated DPCR executive officer Brig. Gen. Bartolome Ragudos Bustamante as the acting deputy director of the DPCR, vice Sermonia. Bustamante’s post will go to Col. Julius Segundo Lagiwid.
Banac said Col. Domingo Ramos Lucas has been designated as the new acting deputy regional director for administration of the Bicol regional police office.
Gamboa recently said he was going to implement a reshuffle in the PNP as part of the “continuing reform of the 195,000-strong police force under his leadership.”