ILOILO – A new Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head in this province will take over by December.
It will be no less than former Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) director Senior Superintendent Cornelio Salinas.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. confirmed Salinas’ appointment to the media after Dr. Jerry Bionat retired from service in September.
Currently, the acting head of PDRRMO is Ma. Cecilia S. Sabido, local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer IV.
According to Defensor, it is advantageous if the appointed PDRRMO head is familiar with the provincial government’s flow and has experience in law enforcement, whose part of the job is to manage the Provincial Civil Defense Office, including peace and order.
The governor wants the Provincial Civil Defense Office to work hand in hand with the IPPO and the Philippine Army.
“Amo na ginapangita naton, may experience mag-uyat sang mga tawo because we started the hiring of the Provincial Civil Defense Group, which is the unit nga maging security sang province,” explained Defensor.
The Provincial Civil Defense Group is a group of multi-role responders.
“Kag may area of specialization na sila. When we mobilize, one team will have health, an environment, and engineering. Amo na ang itsura sang aton DRRM, we have expanded it,” Defensor added.
To recall, Salinas was a provincial director of the IPPO during the term of former Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. He was dismissed from service on June 2, 2015 by the Office of the Ombudsman for grave misconduct in relation to the procurement of Philippine National Police (PNP) rubber boats in 2009.
In 2009, Salinas was a member of the PNP Maritime Group’s Bids and Awards Committee (MG-BAC) that approved the emergency purchase of coastal crafts following a series of typhoons (“Ondoy,” “Peping,” “Quedan,” “Ramil,” “Santi,” “Tino,” “Urduja,” and “Vinta”).
The Court of Appeals ordered the reinstatement of Salinas on Jan. 20, 2018.
According to the Court of Appeals, the emergency procurement of rubber boats worth P5 million was justified, and the MG-BAC “conducted the negotiated procurement with utmost transparency and in accordance with the rules and (National Police Commission) specifications.”/PN
