ILOILO – The municipal mayors of Calinog, Carles and Maasin are not getting back their police powers any time soon.
There has been no order from the Office of the President or from the National Police Commission (Napolcom) central office, according to Atty. Joseph Celis, director of Napolcom Region 6.
In August 2016 President Rodrigo Duterte stripped mayors Alex Centena of Calinog, Sigfredo Betita of Carles and Mariano Malones of Maasin of the power to exercise supervisory control over their respective local police forces.
Duterte linked the three to illegal drugs.
Celis issued the clarification days after Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. asked him about the status of the mayors’ police powers during a recent Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting.
“No specific order has been issued or released…mandating the revocation of the prior order withdrawing the aforementioned mayors’ Napolcom deputization nor restoring their authority over the police personnel assigned in their respective municipalities,” read part of Celis’ letter to the provincial government.
According to the director, the clarification came from Atty. Chito Noel Bustonera, staff service chief of Napolcom central office’s Legal Affairs Service.
Defensor sought the clarification because, he said, after nearly two years since the mayors were linked to illegal drugs, they were not anymore in the so-called “narco list” of the President. He cited a copy of an updated list that former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez possessed.
Pursuant to Section 64 of Republic Act 8551 (Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998), mayors and governors are automatically deputized as representatives of Napolcom in their respective jurisdictions, and are allowed to “inspect police forces and units, conduct audit, and exercise other functions as may be authorized by the Commission.”
According to Celis, the restoration of a local chief executive’s police power has a process that includes a series of validations to be conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Philippine National Police, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.
In the case of the three Iloilo mayors, Celis said yesterday, “As of this time as per official records, no such report or certification has been furnished to the Napolcom central office.”
He also said the mayors must file a motion for reconsideration or appeal to the Office of the President but none did.
Centena, Betita and Malones denied any involvement in illegal drugs./PN
