BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO and ADRIAN STEWART CO
ILOILO City – President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a lifestyle check on sacked Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) director Senior Superintendent Francisco Ebreo and four other police officials. He also berated the policemen – whom he tagged as protectors of drug syndicates – during a meeting in Malacañang.
According to Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, Western Visayas police director, Duterte ordered the lifestyle check during a closed-door conference with him at the Palace on Monday, a day before the Chief Executive had a face-to-face with the five Bacolod City police officers.
“Wala sa drug watch list ng Philippine National Police (PNP) si Ebreo. Pero alam natin na malawak ang kaalaman ng ating Presidente. Baka may nakita siyang evidence,” said Bulalacao.
The regional police director also revealed that the four other police officials were already under investigation for the proliferation of illegal drugs in Bacolod City and alleged protection of commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the BCPO involved in illegal drugs even before the President ordered their relief on Saturday.
“I believed the President. He has many sources of information,” said Bulalacao.
On Tuesday, Duterte gave five police officials a dressing down, according to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo.
“(The President) expressed his frustration as to why they had no knowledge about the presence of certain personalities in Bacolod involved in the illegal drug industry,” said Panelo.
This “swift action”, according to Panelo, was “a timely warning to other (Philippine National Police) officers that the President won’t not tolerate incompetence and inefficiency in the police force, “especially with respect to the administration’s crusade versus illegal drugs.”
Ebreo, Senior Superintendent Allan Rubi Macapagal, Superintendent Richie Makilan Yatar, Superintendent Nasruddin Daud Tayuan, and Senior Inspector Victor Paulino all denied their alleged links to illegal drugs, said former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go who was present at the meeting.
“The President was very angry,” said Go. “He told them they will be investigated.”
The meeting between the dismissed Bacolod police officers and President Duterte lasted for around 20 minutes.
PNP’sDirector General Oscar Albayalde was also present at the meeting.
At a private party of Vallacar Transit chief executive officer Leo Rey Yanson in Bacolod City on Saturday, Duterte stunned guests by announcing the dismissal of the five Bacolod City police officials.
“I’d like to know if the Bacolod chief of police is here. If you are here kindly stand up because you are fired as of this moment,” the President was quoted as saying.
He added: “In your involvement in drugs and making the people of Bacolod miserable, I am relieving and dismissing you from the service as of now, Senior Superintendent Francis Ebreo.”
Panelo and Albayalde, however, assured the police officers of due process.
Albayalde said, “As far as I am concerned, wala siya (Ebreo) sa PNP watch list.”
So why did the President order the axing of Ebreo and the other four policemen?
Albayalde said Duterte, as commander-in-chief, had his own sources of information.
“If that is the wisdom of the President kailangan implement natin ‘yun,” said Albayalde.
He also stressed their relief did not mean they were already guilty.
“This is an administrative relief pending the result of an investigation. Hindi naman outright dismissed from the service,” Albayalde told reporters at a briefing in Camp Crame.
Macapagal was Bacolod City Police Office’s deputy city director for operation; Yatar, chief of City Mobile Force Company; Tayuan, former team leader of the City Drug Enforcement Unit; and Paulino, former chief of Police Station 3 who was re-assigned to the City Mobile Force Company last month./PN
