ILOILO City – Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, regional police director, is not granting the request of the influential Salcedo family in Sara, Iloilo to relieve their municipal police chief. Not now, at least.
There is currently no reason to remove Senior Inspector Asencion Ortizo from his position, Bulalacao stressed.
Mayor Ermelita Salcedo of Sara went to him at the Police Regional Office 6 on Nov. 5 – almost three weeks after the fatal police raid against loose firearms in their house – Bulalacao disclosed.
She was with her daughter 5th District Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Jeneda Salcedo-Orendain and daughter-in-law Sybelle Mary Buenaflor-Salcedo, he said.
According to Bulalacao, the Salcedos claimed they were receiving “threats” and asked for police security. They did not give further information about their alleged threats, he noted.
They also asked him to remove Ortizo from the Sara police station, citing apprehension with the latter’s “attitude” toward the family, Bulalacao said.
“As of now, I will not relieve Ortizo kasi wala akong nakitang rason para i-relieve siya. He is doing his job well and he is an active police chief,” said Bulalacao.
At the same time, Bulalacao said an “oversight committee” led by Senior Superintendent Jesus Cambay, deputy director for administration of the PRO-6, is evaluating Ortizo.
“We are waiting for the result of the evaluation,” said the PRO-6 director. “If he (Ortizo) is not efficient, we will relieve him, but if he is performing well, he stays on the position.”
Moreover, Bulalacao said he has yet to study whether or not to grant the Salcedos’ request for police security. They would need more information with regard to the alleged threats to the family, he said.
For his part Ortizo said he is ready to be relieved if ordered. He also said his station has not had any report with regard to threats against the Salcedos.
“No one from the Salcedos has reported to our office that they were receiving threats,” stressed Ortizo. “If they wanted the threats recorded, it is our duty to accommodate them.”
One of the 13 simultaneous raids against loose firearms in the 5th District on Oct. 17 led to the arrest of Mayor Salcedo, and the death of stepson Nerio “Ricky” Salcedo and grandson Nixon Salcedo Jr.
Police were targeting Mayor Salcedo’s husband, former mayor Neptali, but failed to find him. They also ran after four other subjects – in Sara, Lemery, Banate, and Estancia – but caught just one.
Nerio and Nixon put up a fight, forcing operatives to shoot them, police said.
High-powered weapons recovered from the mayor’s house in Barangay Poblacion Ilawod, Sara included an M14 rifle, M16 rifle, Ultimax 100 311 rifle, 12-gauge shotgun, AK47 rifle, three .45 pistols, and assorted bullets.
Mayor Salcedo insisted that they were all licensed. After she was released, she clarified that she was not arrested but had voluntarily come with the police to assert that they legally own the weapons./PN
